"Like You Mean It"

"Upon the instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound."
(Psalms 92:3)
I get it that we want to be a little reserved and not create a distraction, but since when did it become a crime to praise the Lord? You actually get that reaction in church, but how often do you hear it out in public, even as a response to something great; not enough, that's for sure. We have become so politically correct, we don't want to offend someone or seem overly excessive in our beliefs; but in doing so, we might have painted ourselves into a corner, our own little corner. The J.W.'s get away with it because they seek persecution; it's as if they get to call it a day as soon as someone gives them some sort of verbal or physical harm. I know, because I went door to door with my parents for a while as a kid; having someone spray us with their water hose meant that we got to go home. It really does not matter what kind of instruments are being played, or really how they are played; what matters is to Whom they are played! If we are playing or singing to entertain people, we miss the point of worship; and if we are doing it to gain favor with God, then we really don't understand what praise is meant to be. We do it because it is "good" to praise Him because He has been so good to us! If you don't feel like praising Him, then maybe you need to count your blessings; and if you don't think you have any blessing to count, then maybe you need to get your priorities right and figure out where or what you are dwelling on. Setting our heart on the things of the world will only make us feel like we have not been blessed when they don't materialize; but setting our hearts on heaven, that will give us hope in something that can never disappoint and is always right before us. That is why Paul could declare with certainty, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) I know where I am going, so I can feel certain that I have been blessed beyond compare; in other words, there is nothing here on this earth that compares to the blessing I have in Jesus Christ; absolutely nothing...
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." (Philippians 4:4-5) KJV