To Praise or Not to Praise

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the time of year where all of our focus is on the triumphal entry of Jesus. We love to hear how the crowd waved palm branches, spread their cloaks on the road, and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”; “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”; “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” We get all excited and we can just imagine being in the crowd that was praising Jesus that day. It was exciting and emotional maybe it was like being at a football or baseball game when “your team” scored a touchdown from 80 yards or hit a grand slam to put them ahead of their opponent. Yet, I am reminded that the very same crowd that was shouting and singing his praises on Monday were shouting and screaming, “Crucify him” just a few days later. What happened that changed their mind about the man they called Jesus? Did Jesus change? Well, my guess is that just like in a ball game, they were swayed by what he was doing. They were happy with him as long as he was doing what they wanted, they were happy to sing his praises as long as he had the “upper hand." However, as soon as he no longer had the advantage, they were ready to “throw him under the bus” and “crucify him." They were not convinced that Jesus was the Messiah so when the tide turned and he no longer did the things that they were hoping; they were hopping off the ship. My question to you, and to myself, is this? Do we praise God because we are convinced that he is our messiah, or because, for a moment, God seems to be doing what you want? I pray that we are committed to Jesus not just when things are wonderful but also during the trials of life. It’s easy to praise God on Palm Sunday, when everything looks good for Jesus. We must remember to praise him when the sky turns black and things go wrong. He is still the same God. Only our circumstances have changed, Jesus is the same he never, ever changes. Praise him because you are convinced that he is God and he does not change or make mistakes.

Praise You in the Storm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUWbmtbzDno

And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Comments

Live Fearlessly

As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the road. Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride. As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping. I could have and should have but I didn't. Why? I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid. It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into overdrive. Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting. Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy. As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid. Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know. As I was driving away from a missed opportunity, I began thinking about what it is that makes us afraid. I honestly am not sure what it is that causes us to be afraid when we should be bold, but I

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story. We were new parents. When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes. One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house. The next thing I heard was a thud. I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened. There was my son with a table on top of him. He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over. We put him in the car and dashed for the ER. It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches. Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike. She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road. I grabbed her up and checked her over there were no injuries, but

Just A Word of Praise!!

On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away. On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road. It was no big deal. We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home. Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat. Yikes! I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire. A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped. As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer. He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire. My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.” I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him. Within a few minutes, he had it hooked up and running. As it turned out, I was using it properly,

Inspirations

Search This Blog