Friday, December 10, 2010

Advent Devotional - December 10

December 10 Praises

“And praises sing”

Pray

O Lord my God, I sing praises to You according to Your steadfast love; I sing praises to the name of the Lord most high. You are worthy of my praise. Amen.

Read – II Samuel 22:50

“Therefore I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.”

Reflect

When I praise something, such as an automobile, I pass judgment on its worth. The word “praise” comes from a Latin root which means “to price” or “to value”. When I find a vehicle that is reliable, that drives well, and that performs as it was designed to do, then I praise it. It has value.

God is not to be compared to an automobile, but the illustration can help us to understand what it means to offer praise. We speak highly of a car that fulfills its functions well. If the transmission is seamless, the electronics flawless, and the braking system efficient then we say, “What a great car!” In the same way, when we say, “What a great God” we are praising the only One whose function is without fault. God’s character is not just good; He is Good. God embodies what it means to be good. He is not just righteous; He is the Righteous One. He is without reproach. God is not just loving; His nature and His name is Love. When we think of what love means, whether or not we are aware of it, we are thinking about God.

So, when the morning stars and the hosts of heaven sing praise to God the King they ascribe to Him a value, a worthiness that is almost beyond our comprehension. When those praises encompass the Christ Child we begin to understand. Goodness and righteousness and love wear a human face in Jesus.

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