BY GREG MILLER
Ned was a Christian whose chief joy was to praise God.
While some believers were able to praise God when life’s road was easy to travel, Ned also praised God during the less prosperous times.
Ned’s daily Bible-reading regimen included several passages concerning praise and worship. The first Scripture he read aloud each day was Psalm 138:1-2, “I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”
Ned recognized the need for praising the Lord without reservation. “The psalmist says here that he would worship God with his whole heart,” Ned told his wife, Nancy. “That tells me if I praise the Lord wholeheartedly, I won’t be spending much time exalting other things.”
Isaiah 25:1 was the second Scripture Ned read daily, “’O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.’”
Ned told Nancy, “The prophet tells us he will praise the name of the Lord because He has done wonderful things. The Sovereign Lord has done wonderful things in our lives too, right, sweetheart?”
“Yes, He has,” Nancy said. “Each day is a totally-filled treasure chest of God’s blessings.”
Psalm 117 was among Ned’s favorite praise-related Scriptures. Ned read both verses of the Psalm to Nancy: “’O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD (endureth) forever. Praise ye the LORD.’”
“Wow!” exclaimed Nancy. “That whole chapter is nothing but praise to God!”
“You’re absolutely right!” Ned agreed. “But remember, the entire purpose of our lives is to praise the Lord and bring honor and glory to Him!”
Nancy then shared her favorite praise Scriptures with Ned, including Psalm 100, verse 4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, (and) into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, (and) bless his name.”
The second Scripture was Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Ned and Nancy agreed about the importance of praise to the Christian life. “People would have much happier lives if they spent as much time praising God for His blessings as they do complaining about their problems,” Ned said.
“And a lot fewer problems!” Nancy grinned.
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