Praise, a musical style or a lifestyle?

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Theme: "Praise, a musical style or a lifestyle?"

Text: John 4:23-24

23. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such are the worshipers whom the Father seeks. 24. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.

Let us remember:

True worshipers should also be true praisers. Indeed, worship walks together with praise. In worship, there is praise and vice versa. There is no point in separating these two aspects because they are intertwined to the great happiness of God. In the past, it was necessary to travel to Jerusalem to praise / worship God. It was necessary to go to the mountain, as "Christians go to church to praise God". It was necessary to take a position of piety before humans. Everything was done so that the gaze of humans would be attracted while it is the heart of God that must be conquered. From now on, it is neither in Jerusalem, nor in church, nor on a mountain, nor by gestures and grimaces, nor by words, poems striking the human understanding, no! It is the season of the spirit and truth. Praise must now be done in connection with heaven (the Spirit of God), then with heaven again (Jesus the truth). All praise has been transferred to the heaven of God because only God is worthy of praise. We must remove the intermediaries that we add and mix with God. Let us do things in the sincerity expected by God. Praise is both a specific activity and a way of life. We must be in agreement with what we proclaim of God and live in accordance with what he asks of us. Here is an example of praise in truth: God is holy, and he desires that we be so too. If we are, then our life is praise in truth because it is obedience to his Spirit that helps us. Praise implies reverence and humility, consecration and the gift of self. It is not in church that we do praise but it is an individual act, it is a lifestyle, it must be our life, like the daily meal; with the most complete revelation of what God does in us. Excellent Thursday. Amen

Alain Louz.-