SCRIPTURE

Studied: Psalm 145; Revelation 20  

OBSERVATION

Psalm 145:9-12 ~ You are good to everyone, and you take care of all your creation. All creation will thank you, and your loyal people will praise you. They will tell about your marvelous kingdom and your power. Then everyone will know about the mighty things you do and your glorious kingdom.

APPLICATION

When I stop and realize how thankful I am for all that my mom and dad did for me over the years and how I just can’t seem to do enough now, in later years, to show my appreciation to them, I am reminded today that the same should apply to my Lord Jesus Christ. God created me and has protected and provided for me all along the years. I am especially mindful of the ways that His hand is upon me these days, because I can see how fortunate I am to:

• Have food, when so many are going hungry;
  
• Have good health to enjoy this life here below, while so many are either in hospital or suffering from one affliction or another at home;
  
• Have a loving family, when there are so many that have deliberately separated themselves from their family because of a rift;
  
• Have a loving wife, when there are so many divorces today;
  
• Have a loving daughter, when so many kids today take joy in terrorizing their parents to get back at them for silly things like disagreements or arguments, or smothering them with too much love;
  
• Have a loving family of God (my church family) that cares for me and will lift me up when I need them, versus many who have unfortunately chosen to follow a path that either denounces God altogether, or one that directs them into a world where they try to ignore the One that loves them more than a brother and actually sacrificed His own Son in order that they would have life more abundant and free and one with a hope for an eternal future;
  
• Have a job so that I can provide for my family, while there are so many that are unemployed today;
  

None of the above gives me bragging rights, but they serve to remind me that had it not been for the grace of my heavenly Father, I could easily have been one burdened with any of the negative side of the above. Therefore I will praise my Savior while I have breath. I will depend on Him daily to continue blessing me with each of the above for as long as He sees fit.

 

As the latter part of the scripture says, I will praise God for all things not because I am deserving of the blessings, but because of His grace, so that others will see the mighty things that God does in and through me, and nothing on my own accord.