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Please note that the time listed for this service in yesterday’s post is WRONG. This service begins at 6:00 p.m. sharp tomorrow evening. Pastor Ann is always punctual so please come a few minutes early. We apologize for not getting this right the first time.

Praise God!  If you live in the South, you’ve heard this term many times.  It has become a common by-word that is often used when things go well for someone, whether or not they are Christian.  There are other words we’ve all heard when things don’t go so well.

As our culture has changed and moved its center away from the Lord, it’s those other words we now hear most often.  Praising God is no longer a common practice in this country.  If you think about that for just a moment, you may realize how sad that is.

But, you say…………. WHY would I want to praise God when He lets bad stuff happen to me?    My life is difficult.  I can’t pay all my bills.  My car broke down and now I can’t get to work.  I lost my job.  My spouse left me.  The bank is foreclosing on my house or the landlord just evicted me.  My child has an incurable disease.  The list goes on.

Praise Him and thank Him for what is RIGHT in your life.  Sometimes this is the most difficult part of praising and worshipping Him.  When everything seems to be going wrong, its so hard to see what is right in our lives.  But there are always right things in our lives, when we pause to consider.  We are after all, alive, breathing, thinking.

Praising God is part and parcel of worshipping Him.  It can be simple or elaborate.  Praise can be done by an individual or a group.  It encompasses any human effort to demonstrate to Our Lord that He is recognized as the one true God and that He is honored and appreciated for that.

Praise can be a whispered thank you when a child’s fever breaks.  It can be the shout of a thousand voices singing “hallelujah.”  However praise is offered, it is integral to a real relationship with God.  How we praise God varies from person to person and culture to culture.  What we need to learn is to DO IT.

If this isn’t a habit you’ve already developed, begin today.  Look around you and say thank you God for even the smallest detail in your life that is right.  Give Him the credit that it is as it should be.  That’s it.  That’s all you need to do to praise Him. 

If you will try this for the next 30 days, God will begin to help you see your life in an entirely new light.  And you will begin to see Him in a completely different way.

If you would like to learn more about Praising God please join us this Sunday.  Pastor Ann’s message will focus on Praise at 10:55 a.m. We will be meeting again at 6:30 p.m. for a people’s praise time.  Anyone who wishes is allowed 3 minutes to get up and share whatever is on their heart that is a praise to God.  We’ll have food and fellowship afterwards and you are MOST welcome to join us.

September is our month of missions emphasis. Please work on filling your Alabaster boxes to assist in building or rebuilding our churches and schools around the world. We also need to be gathering the supplies needed for our “Crisis Care Kits.” If you don’t have a list of items for this, please see Gary Hohner.

“Moses also said, ‘You will know that it was the Lord . . . because He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.’” —Exodus 16:8

While attending seminary, I also had the opportunity to work for a large company. I was paired with an experienced senior employee who was bright, outgoing, kind, and humorous. She was well-liked by everyone and helped me with my job.

One thing I noticed about her was that, despite having many great qualities, she was often highly critical of her church. In passing, she would criticize her church and the people with whom she worshipped.

After a few years of listening to her periodic negative comments, I finally told her that it sounded like she might be ready to try a new church. She quickly rebuked me, asking, “Why would you say that?” I sheepishly responded by pointing out some of the specific “concerns” she had shared with me about her church during the time we had worked together. Even though she listened to what I had to say, she defensively responded, “I love my church and could never leave it.” 

Over time, I have never forgotten this incident. My coworker was respected in my office and had many good qualities. I couldn’t figure out why she attended church when she was so highly critical of it. After listening to her comments, I wondered why anyone would desire to attend her church. There must have been something that kept her from wanting to make a change. Perhaps her church wasn’t that bad after all, but she never said anything positive or redeeming about it.

What do you say about your church around others?

Throughout my life, I have heard many people speak negatively about their churches—not because there is nothing good to say, but rather because they have decided to be critical instead of sharing a good word to listening ears. I’m sure I have been guilty of this at some point in my life, too.

While no church is perfect, the hope is that everyone would work together to make strides towards positive change and growth. Congregations are the biggest promoters of their church. If they don’t have anything positive to say, why would anyone want to come?

This is something I wish I had asked my coworker years ago. What did she love most about her church? What kept her going back Sunday after Sunday? I wish she would have shared her positive thoughts with others. Sometimes a kind or positive word is all it takes to make a life-changing difference that will last forever. You never know who may be listening.

Prayer for the week:

Lord Jesus, may I be the Christian ambassador that You would have me be. May I be prepared to say a good word about You and the Body of Christ (my church). Forgive me for the times I have fallen short of this standard. Help me to look for opportunities to encourage my pastor and other leaders. Help me to understand that You can use my positive and sincere words to help others draw closer to You. Amen.

Bob Buck is senior pastor of Liberty Church of the Nazarene in Liberty, MO, USA.

Written for Coffee Break with Holiness Today.

Praise and worship are words that are used frequently in churches.  Have you ever wondered what they really mean?  Are they different or are they two words meaning the same thing?  They are related, but they are not the same. 

We are called to praise Him over 100 times in the NASB version of the bible.  These verses frequently include references to music, but not all do.  They do maintain the common theme of celebrating and glorifying God.   We can praise God with our voices by sharing stories of answered prayer also.  Whenever we celebrate His grace, pay tribute to His actions or glorify His name we are praising Him.

Worship is the act of acknowledging God and humbling ourselves before Him.  Many verses speak of bowing low before Him.  If we are not aware of who He is and who we are in relation to Him, that type of humility won’t occur to us.  Worship is the acknowledgement of His Kingship, His Godhood. 

Pastor Ann is going to take us deeper into the meanings of these words and how they apply to our lives on Sunday morning.  We encourage you to join us on our journey.  We’ll be live-streaming on Facebook if you can’t meet us in the sanctuary at 10:55 a.m.