Psalm 79:13 “So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations.”
There is are patterns in life that become identifiable to the process at hand.
For instance, the German biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel painted hundreds of marine organisms to emphasise their symmetry. Scottish biologist D’Arcy Thompson pioneered the study of growth patterns in both plants and animals, showing that simple equations could explain spiral growth. In the 20th century, the British mathematician Alan Turing predicted mechanisms of morphogenesis which give rise to patterns of spots and stripes. The Hungarian biologist Aristid Lindenmayer and the French American mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot showed how the mathematics of fractals could create plant growth patterns.
Throughout the natural world patterns are evident and so these patterns become markers for a designer (God), and therefore a purpose behind these patterns.
Within people there are spiritual patterns that indicate their position before God. Habitual sin might indicate the heart of someone who has rejected the righteousness of Christ. The pattern of sin can indicate a disregard for the holiness of God and a careless attitude of offending their Creator.
Within followers of Christ there is another pattern that shows forth the evidence of Christ in them–
Habitual Praise
Praise within the believer is reflective of all they do and say. From the moment a person is brought forth from darkness to light, praise is issued from their lips.
I was talking to a man who had lived out a majority of his life in prison. His hatred for others came from a heart of stone that only produced darkness. This man was in a christian discipleship program and was recounting his days in prison and living in homeless communities. He remembered the times that God preserved his life, even in the midst of his darkness. He told me of one particular instance when the Lord called him and the vision he had of Christ was so authentic that even in the depths of his disparity he bowed down before God and exclaimed “You Lord, are perfect in every way”. The overwhelming presence of the Lord brought a hardened murderer to his knees in praise.
Psalm 75:1 “We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your name is near. The people declare Your wondrous works.”
The soul that was once dying for lack of hope, is filled to the brim and overflowing with the water of the Spirit—this is what ushers forth praise from the authentic, undervalued, experience of knowing Jesus personally.
There is so much more that changes when the blind have found the light..
Psalm 100
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.”
- Knowing that God is good
- Knowing that this good God is on the throne
- Knowing that the One who made us, love us
- Knowing that the Shepherd guides us by His strength
- Knowing our Judge is merciful
- Knowing His Truth is everlasting
The man or woman who experiences the presence of the living God, comes to a greater knowledge of God Himself.
This knowledge of God ushers forth praise.
A lack of the knowledge of God brings forth sin.
Habitual Sin
Asaph reminded the listeners of the people of Israel who wandered in the desert for forty years, unable to enter the promised land.
Psalm 78:15-17 “He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
He also brought streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
But they sinned even more against Him
By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.“
The people who see the goodness of God and continue in rebellion have rejected the only hope for salvation.
Like the original generation of Israelis who were brought forth from Egypt, they were more interested in not being slaves than they were interested in trusting in the Lord.
Many people who act like they came to Jesus today are more interested in ‘church club’, the show that many churches put on every Sunday becomes the draw for those who want to be apart of the club without the sacrifice. The seeker friendly church talks it’s people into tithing their money, with the promise that God will reward them even more than what they gave. Church giving for the nominal christian becomes an investment plan that hopefully yields great wealth and reward.
Many of the lost today sit in pews every Sunday, singing songs, tithing money, and even helping the poor. These lost are in a greater darkness than the destitute sinner sitting in prison because they think they are in the light.
Bad shepherding produces false converts.
The redeemed have an acute awareness of sin because the Holy Spirit within them reveals their depravity.
Romans 6:1-4 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
What has the call of God produces in your life?
For those who continue on in sin, the product of rejecting salvation in Christ alone only drives the sinner further into hatred, hopelessness, and ultimately into Hell.
For those who have experienced the newness of life in Christ, the Spirit of God ushers forth Habitual praise that is exemplified in every area of life. Life isn’t perfect while on this earth, while sin is ever present we are subjected to the scourge of a fallen nature.
In the midst of a fallen world, the light shines ever brighter until that glorious day when Christ returns for His bride.
Press on, remember the hope that is before you and rejoice in knowing your redeemer lives.
Praise the Lord you Saints….the hope of salvation is upon you.
U.T. 