(I encourage you to visit the previous blog post for PART 1 of this series on enjoying Jesus!)
PART 2 by Pastor Jon Gaus
Begin With Praise & Worship
Because of who God is! Praise & worship is an expression of adoration and devotion to God because of who He is and because of His perfect, holy character and attributes. Express your wonder and delight in God out loud. Tell the Lord how much you love Him and how much more you want to love Him.
Expanding you view of God: Psalm 145 is full of wonderful, powerful and intimate declarations back to God. A meaningful way to worship the LORD is by praying His Word back to Him, out loud, from a sincere heart. This act gives great glory to God, it helps magnify our view of God (which is often shrinking), and it causes the Enemy to flee. Give it a try…
PSALM 145 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your[b] mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.][c]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
The “One Thing” request of King David:
David was one of the richest, most powerful men in the world and basically could have anything he wanted. But the one thing that he desired most and sought after with all of his might was to behold the beauty of the LORD!
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple Psalm 27:4
Make this Your Request:
Take an extended time right now to pray and ask the LORD to show you more of Himself, more of His beauty and to draw you close into His presence so that you can truly experience more of Him. Take time to walk with Him and share your heart with Him.
As an act of worship, make a list of ten things about JESUS that makes Him worthy of your praise…then praise Him for each one.
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- 10.
Jon Gaus 