Reflection on Praise

Today has been a continuous expression of praise to God ranging from vibrant, melodious strains of a visiting gospel choir, to personal participation in a reflective ecumenical communion service, to the soul-inspiring talents of a group of Christ-motivated young musicians and the proven personal testimony of life-long, faithful followers.

At Rowville this morning, Brian Hogg mentioned that "praise is not worship; it is the completion of worship". This got me thinking and searching some thoughts based on the subject of praise.

C S Lewis, in his book Reflections on the Psalms, says that "all enjoyment spontaneously flows into praise". It's true that spouses praise their beloved, readers praise their favorite book, food-lovers their dish of choice, etc. We love to praise the things we enjoy because praise is not just the expression of that joy, but also the completion of it.

As people of faith, our praise for God needs to overflow out of our joy in God. To praise Him is to enjoy God to the fullest. Surely, it is in fully enjoying God that we glorify Him the best. Living lives of praise, then, means being saturated with joy in God.

Praise Him with melody; praise Him with song

Tell of His holiness, all the day long

Give Him all majesty earth can afford

Praise Him with melody; praise ye the LORD!

Friendships

The wise King Solomon once deducted that "a sweet friendship refreshes the soul". How right he was! After a rather challenging week, it was refreshing for us to touch base with one of our close friends and spend some quality time together.

Friendship offers us the opportunity to share on a deeper level than the common daily 'surface contacts' we make. Close friendships provide us with a comfortable environment in which to be open and upfront, enabling us to engage in ways that promote personal growth.

How much more rewarding, then, when close friends share a common faith in Jesus Christ! We're truly blessed when we interact on the spiritual level of God-friendships.

2 Corinthians 13:14 (MSG) ~ "The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you."