A People for His Praise

From the beginning of Creation and throughout time God has sought people set apart for His praise. When God created man in the garden He completed His work of creation by looking upon it all and saying it was good. Think about those words. God, who is perfectly perfect and has no wrong in Him proclaimed upon all that He had created as GOOD. There is great power and worth in that simple statement. By rightly understanding the character and attributes of God it is almost beyond me to begin to comprehend the breadth of this simple statement, God calling all creation good. He looked upon man and it pleased Him. It brought joy to God that man was good and pleased Him. Man acted and did just as he was created to do, praise God.

Then entered in the crucial decision of man to decide other than obedience to God and choose to disobey God's decree. Sin entered the world and corruption began to plague all creation. Yet, in God's mercy He allowed man to continue to live but with penalty of death and no longer living in the garden.

God called out Abram and made a covenant with him. God was setting out to make a people for His own praise. Man was fallen and separated from God but God would call a people for Himself to worship Him and proclaim His glories to the nations. Thus, from Abraham the nation of Israel would come. He call out a people separate and distinct, His own people.

The children of Israel rebelled against God and found themselves as slaves in Egypt. The Lord God called out a man, Moses, to lead His people out of bondage. And He did. But as Moses met with God on Mt. Sinai to receive the laws of God and hear from God that He was going to make a nation of priests for Himself, the children of Israel were worshiping another, an idol made of a golden calf. Moses as he descended down the mountain saw the children of Israel doing this and broke the tablets of stone. God then gave them not only the 10 Commandments but also other laws, acceptable living and worshiping of God, and set aside a line of priests, the Levites. No longer was there a nation of priests but a line of priests within the nation. Through all this God is seeking a people set apart for His praise and glory to demonstrate His glory to the nations.

The Old Testament is rittled with the failures of Israel to walk close to God and follow Him, to praise Him, to worship Him alone, to demonstrate to the nations the power and glory of the One True God.

But God in His infinite mercy and grace, still making His plans to come to pass, sent Jesus Christ, the Son of God, fully God fully man to walk among men, being fully tempted as we are but yet without sin, to willing endure the Cross for rebels such as we, and become the punishment for our sins. Jesus Christ made a New Covenant to create a people for God's praise, those set apart for His glory. Jesus Christ, by faith in Him as Lord and Savior, made a way for all men, Gentiles and Jews, to enter into the Kingdom of God as His children. God desires a people for His praise. By the death and resurrection of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer God has made those who believe in Jesus Christ "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2.9)

We are a people set apart for the glories of God. This is the priesthood of all believers. We are all priests who are called out by God for His own possession. The minister or pastor might serve God vocationally to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry" but every man who has called on the name of the Lord has been called and given the role of priest. We are set apart to be a holy people to demonstrate the glory and power of God to the world. It is our duty, yea privilege and honor, to live to our utmost for the praise of our God. You are called to live holy and blameless, to walk rightly before your God.

Sadly to say, I see a very lethargic and complacent people of God. I do not see Christians, in America, living their lives in view of God's plan but for their own selfish gain or pleasure. How do we demonstrate the power and glory of the God who can change lives to a world when we don't live differently? We live for the same goals, the same desires, the same pleasures, the same acknowledgments as the world does. What is different? If you don't believe me, check your bank statements. Where is the majority of your money spent? Check your day planner. What is the majority of your time devoted to? Check your heart. When was the last time you spent your day intentionally seeking to live for Christ in all you said and did? When was the last day that you lived intentionally for the advancement of the Kingdom of God and not for self? If we all could with a clear conscience say that we do these things, things that Romans 12 calls our "reasonable" or "spiritual worship", then our churches would look completely different, our worship services would be different, our communities would be impacted for Christ and function different, our lives would look and be totally different than what we see or have seen. Our lives would be full of joy inexpressible and would be a true beacon of light, life, and hope to a lost and dying world.

I plead with you, and am including myself, let us repent of our sins and draw close to the Lord. May we begin to live lives of purpose, intent, and devotion to the kingdom, glory, and praise of God. It is only asking to live as we are designed and redeemed to do. To live for Christ with the totality of our being. May we be found faithful servants of the Lord, doing His will with joy, at His returning. Live with eternity in view.