How to Praise God with Your Life

I look in their eyes – eight fifth grade preteen girls. My eyes flash as my voice rises in excitement. Inside my soul burns with joy, anticipation, and awe at God. I feel it there in that Sunday School room – God’s smile, His countenance shining upon me. As I make disciples of these girls I praise God.

God’s word commands us to give God praise. Psalm 148:7-12 says,

 Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and maidens,
old men and children.

While pondering Psalm 148 Mary Kassian in her Bible Study Knowing God by Name says,

“…I took a walk to the island park near my home to observe and ponder how animals and things in nature praise the Lord…[Then] it struck me that the stone praised God by being a stone…if other created things praise God by being and doing exactly what God designed them to be and do, then it naturally follows that we would likewise praise Him. Each created thing praises God by fulfilling His purpose for it.”

To praise God with our lives we must fulfill the purpose God designed for our lives. Our purpose at its root is to glorify God. If we glorify God with our lives we can’t help, but go and make disciples as Jesus charged us.

Fundamentally we can praise and honor God in any situation He puts us in. As a mother you bring God glory by mothering in the power of His Spirit not your own. As a single person you bring God glory by maintaining purity in our increasingly sin soaked world. As a student you bring God glory when you don’t cheat or skip or slide by but do all your work for Him. As a business person you bring God glory by maintaining integrity. Over all these things we must pour out love for Jesus says folks will know us by our love.

We do not have to wait to bring glory and praise to God. We don’t have to wait for a book deal, our next stage in life, or our next pay check. No God longs for us to fulfill our purpose now.

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ”

May we all praise God by doing what He created us to do.