"Hallelujah, Praise You the LORD!"

"Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalms 150:6)

  Having come to this last verse, I almost feel as though there needs to be more; yet, on the other hand, I look forward to what will happen next. This is the final thought here, that of anticipation for the next phase, that which will take place when and after we take our last breath! As long as we have breath, we have a chance to be redeemed! It really does not matter what you might have done to that point, because God is always willing to forgive those that ask Him for forgiveness. As for those three different forms of faith, "devoted, submissive, and critical," they are all part of what praising God is all about; we praise Him with our lives, how we show Him that we trust Him, and how we react when we are tested. We really never know when that last breath might be taken; we can only hope that it is used for giving praise to the LORD! As I close out this portion of the journey, I am filled with hope that our churches will soon be opened and our fellowships will be singing together again. Everything works towards the good, so we need not worry how, only that it always will; which means that we must not loose heart, but be patiently waiting and watching; knowing that the KING is coming so very soon! Besides that, there is always hope: As long as there is life, there is hope! The third category is the one that speaks of: "Who must praise the Lord; it is every one's business!" I can recall the first Chick Tact that I read, I picked it up while I was waiting in the phone line to call my wife. It was probably about two months before I was saved, and it was a simple message about a foolish king that sent his court jester out to find a bigger fool. Odd as it might sound, but every "Praise" that is listed here in this Psalm is speaking about us; not that we might receive praise, but that our praise might give forth a certain illustration of our belief and trust in God. There is even the illustration on that of a fool: to be foolish! Be that as it may, may I be a fool for Christ! Regardless of what the world might think, live for God...

"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent." So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength." (1 Corinthians 1:18-25) NLT