2 KINGS 20:1-22:2
ACTS 21:18-36
PSALM 150:1-6
PROVERBS 18:9-10
Psalm 150
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
I love this Psalm. It is such a beautiful picture of Praise for me.
Praise Him everywhere.
Praise Him for all His power and greatness.
Praise Him with words, music, and dancing.
EVERYTHING that has breath praise the Lord.
As long as we are breathing we are to praise Him.
This makes me want to jump up and down and dance and shout and sing PRAISE THE LORD OH MY SOUL!!!!
I was just talking to a couple who are friends of ours yesterday about different churches and their ordinances and doctrines and they told me about a church they had gone to that was overly conservative and restrictive. He was working with the youth director and the kids to do worship music. And he had offered to bring in some equipment and drums to give them a better sound and was told "No, no, no, no, we can't have drums and all that loud music." There was not allowed to be clapping or applause and that is only a taste of the restrictions. It reminded me of the movie Footloose. Now this friend has a quick and very reliable sense of humor and it just comes jumps out of his mouth. For example, when he showed up at the youth directors house to meet with him and the guy opened the door and asked very seriously, "Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" and his response was "I'm not sure, but if you hum a few bars I'll let you know." and it did not go over well. And in church when they read this Psalm he couldn't help but say out loud "No, no, no we can't have cymbals." Needless to say they did not stay at that church for long. It amazes me how a church can make decisions that teach the opposite of what scripture says. When we recognize teachings in a church that oppose the word of God we should walk away from that church and find one that does align with the word.
It is important to learn about a church's doctrines and ordinances. There are some things that can be interpreted differently and not directly oppose scripture. It is equally important to be in the word of God so that you can know and understand what the word says about these things and seek the Lord for understanding. Then you can find a church that aligns with your understanding of scripture and your heart that is humbled to the directing of the Holy Spirit. I think this can be a way for the Lord to direct you to the church that He would have you be part of. I know that as I have read and studied the word of God there are doctrines in my current church that I did not have strong opinions on years ago that have become more important to me. I have felt convicted of them as I have had interaction with them over the last year and I have come to realize that my heart and understanding of the word does not always align with the denomination's interpretation. Thankfully they are not things that directly oppose scripture and both sides have biblical support for their understanding and that is why I can still be part of the church. But as I am learning of the ordinances of another church that does align with my heart and understanding I am reminding myself that I will stay where God has put me until He tells me to leave and I don't think I have a clear message to leave but I am thankful for the direction that He has taken this post.
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