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Sermon Outline

In the Crucible with Christ

A Life of Praise

Lesson #9 for August 27, 2022

Scriptures:Philippians 4:4-7; Joshua 5:13-6:20; Psalm 145;Acts 16:16-34; 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.

  1. What is praise? What role does it have in the life of the Christian? It is easy to praise God and be thankful when things are going well. But, is it possible for a Christian to praise and honor God when things are not going well, in fact, under the worst possible situations imaginable? Maybe that is the time when we need God the most! We may not be able to change the circumstances which seem forbidding at the time; but, we can change ourselves. We can remind ourselves that we are children of the heavenly King, and He has already won the great controversy.
  2. Praise is actually faith doing what it is supposed to do.

[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] The great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky had been sentenced to death, only to have the sentence commuted at the last moment. He spent years in prison instead. Talking about his prison experience, he wrote: “Believe to the end, even if all men go astray and you are left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and praise God in your loneliness.”?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, August 21.

  1. Do you remember the stories of Paul’s experiences in Philippi? After starting a church there and preaching there for several weeks, he was accosted by that demon-possessed young woman until Paul finally turned to her and cast out her demon. As a result, her managers incited the crowd to get Paul and Silas imprisoned. I do not know if it was because of that experience; however, it turned out that the church at Philippi was very supportive of Paul. Is that why he wrote these encouraging words to them?

Philippians 4:4-7: 4 May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!

5 Show a gentle attitude towards everyone. The Lord is coming soon. 6Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. 7And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,Philippians 4:4-7). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible]. [Paul was about to be released from his first imprisonment in Rome when he wrote these words.]

  1. Was Paul living in some kind of fairyland when he told us to praise always? (SeePhilippians 4:4.) How is that possible? If indeed we are going to praise at all times, that must mean that we are to praise God even when things are not going well. Is that phony? This is not some kind of mantra. We are just telling the truth about God; that is praise.

[BSG:] Just as faith is based not on our circumstances but rather on the truth about God, so praise is something we do not because we feel good but because of the truth of who God is and what He has promised us. And amazingly, it is such faith that begins to shape our thoughts, feelings, and circumstances.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, August 21.

  1. In order to understand why we can rejoice in faith in God, we need to understand more about faith itself. The best definition of faith that I know of was developed gradually and after much study by A. Graham Maxwell, my mentor. Summarizing much of what the Bible and Ellen White have said on the subject, he concluded, as he stated many times:

Faith is [just] a word we use to denote a relationship with God as with a Person well known. The better we know Him, the better this relationship may be. [We cannot say will be because we know of the story of Lucifer.]

Faith implies an attitude toward God of love, trust, and deep admiration. It means having enough confidence in Him, based upon the more than adequate evidence revealed, to be willing to believe whatever He says [as soon as we are sure that He is the One who has said it], to accept whatever He offers [as soon as we are sure that He is the One who is offering it], and to do whatever He wishes [as soon as we are sure He is the One who wishes it]?without reservation?for the rest of eternity.

Anyone who has such faith is perfectly safe to save. This is why faith is the only requirement for heaven.

[Faith also means that like Abraham, Job, and Moses, Gods friends, we know God well enough to reverently ask Him, Why?]?A. Graham Maxwell, You Can Trust the Bible 81.†‡ [Sections in brackets are added based on frequent statements by Dr. Maxwell in his classes.]

  1. What truths about God make it possible for you to praise even in very difficult times? Does God expect us to continue praising Him even if we are suffering through the seven last plagues? We should praise God for many reasons including the following: (1) God created us. (John 1:1-3) (2) God is love. (1 John 4:8,16) (3) He has already won the great controversy through the life and death of His Son, Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:3) (4) He has promised us life eternal with Him if we are faithful. For what more could we ask?
  2. There are several very remarkable stories in the Bible about how God fought for His people at times when they had a relatively good relationship with Him. The children of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. At Mount Sinai God had told them, as recorded in Exodus 23, that He would take them into the land and that He would take care of their enemies and they would not even have to fight. But, they were not happy with that despite God’s repeated assurances; they insisted on fighting. So, they ended up fighting with the Amalekites, then, Sihon and his nation and Og and his nation. Finally, they arrived on the banks of the Jordan River, looking across the flooded river at Jericho. Maybe they were thinking that God would take them across a comfortable river into grassy plains. What they saw across the river was the powerful, fortified city of Jericho. Finally, God assisted them by providing a dry path through the flooded Jordan River, and they camped not far from Jericho on the western side of the river. They had entered the land of Palestine. Finally, they were facing Jericho and the land of Canaan.

Joshua 6:1-21: 1 The gates of Jericho were kept shut and guarded to keep the Israelites out. No one could enter or leave the city. 2The LORD said to Joshua, “I am putting into your hands Jericho, with its king and all its brave soldiers. 3You and your soldiers are to march round the city once a day for six days.”…

[Then, on the seventh day, after marching around the city seven times:] 20The priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the people heard it, they gave a loud shout, and the walls collapsed. Then all the army went straight up the hill into the city and captured it. 21With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men and women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.?Good News Bible.*†‡

  1. It is interesting to see that while God planned to conquer the city on their behalf, He did not do everything; He wanted them to do their part. After marching around the city of Jericho for six days and looking up at those high strong walls, how would you have felt about the chances for conquering the city? Would you be ready to praise God? Would you be willing to sing the psalm recorded in Psalms 66?
  2. What was it that made the Israelites successful after marching around Jericho? How would you explainHebrews 11:30?

Hebrews 11:30: It was faith that made the walls of Jericho fall down after the Israelites had marched round them for seven days.?Good News Bible.*

  1. Archaeologists have discovered some interesting things about the conquest of Jericho. The walls of Jericho fell outward, not inward. They were pushed down by God Himself or His angels?except for the area where Rahab lived?so that the rubble would provide a path up the steep incline, allowing the Israelites to quickly march into the city and destroy the shocked and unexpecting citizens.
  2. God wanted them to see that if they would only trust fully and completely in Him, He would take care of them. If one studies the history of Israel carefully, s/he will see that when they went to war following God’s directions, they never lost. In fact, they sometimes did not even lose a single soldier. But, when they went to war without consulting God, they always lost! And, sometimes, they were totally devastated. Did they ever figure that out?
  3. Do you really trust God? Is it reasonable to trust Him even when we face what seem to be insurmountable obstacles? Do you agree that God has a thousand ways to take care of things of which we know nothing?

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.?Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages* 330.1.

  1. How can we develop a life of praise? Look at the things about which David praised God.
  2. ReadPsalm 145:1-21. David recognized that God was great and mighty, kind, merciful, and shows great love. He cares for those in trouble; He provides food for all living things.

[BSG:] The great British preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote a book called The Practice of Praise. It is based on verse 7 of … [Psalm 145]. In this short verse, Spurgeon calls our attention to three important things that can help in developing praise in our lives.

  1. Praise is practiced as we look around us. If we do not look around us to see the greatness of God, we will have no reason to praise Him. What can you see in the created world that is praiseworthy, such as the beauty of God’s creation? What can you see in the spiritual world that is praiseworthy, such as the growing faith in a young Christian?
  2. Praise is practiced as we remember what we have seen. If we want to live in an atmosphere of praise, we must be able to recall the reason for it. In what ways can we remember the great things about God (such as by developing new rituals or symbols that remind us of His goodness), so that His goodness and the truth about Him do not slip from our minds?
  3. Praise is practiced as we talk about it. Praise is not something that we do in our heads. It is meant to come out of our mouths, to be heard by those around us. What reasons can you think of to praise God verbally? What will the effect of such praise be, and on whom??Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, August 23.†‡§
  4. Think about all the things for which you can praise God. The more you know about God, the more there is to be excited about and for which to praise Him!
  5. Another very significant story in the Bible connected to praise is the story of Paul and Silas in Philippi as recorded in Acts 16. After being followed and troubled by a demon-possessed young woman for weeks, Paul cast the demon out of her. Her “owners” were not happy, and they accused Paul and Silas of being against the Roman government.

Acts 16:22b-34: 22b Then the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be whipped. 23After a severe beating, they were thrown into jail, and the jailer was ordered to lock them up tight. 24Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations. At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped; so he pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. 28But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for a light, rushed in, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 30Then he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They answered, “Believe [trust/have faith] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your family.” 32Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that very hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; and he and all his family were baptized at once. 34Then he took Paul and Silas up into his house and gave them some food to eat. He and his family were filled with joy, because they now believed in God.?Good News Bible.*†‡

  1. Why did this event cause the jailer to focus on his own need of salvation? Was he just asking, “What can I do to be safe?” What role do you think Paul and Silas’s prayers and songs played in the rest of the prisoners not running away and in the conversion of the jailer and his whole family?
  2. Was Paul really suggesting that faith is the only requirement for salvation? If so, what is implied by that? If we have a loving, trusting relationship with God, wouldn’t that take care of everything? At least, in the end?
  3. We are told that there are three main things which we need to do as a part of being a Christian: (1) Bible study, (2) prayer, (3) witnessing to others. Is it possible that by praising and witnessing to others, we might actually lead some to develop a relationship with God so that they can be saved for eternity?
  4. How would the average person in our world today respond if/when s/he hears us praising God? Do these words from Paul apply to us at all?

Philippians 1:29-30: 29For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him. 30Now you can take part with me in the battle. It is the same battle you saw me fighting in the past, and as you hear, the one I am fighting still.?Good News Bible.*

  1. After the days of King Solomon, the nation split into two parts. The northern kingdom was called Israel, and the southern kingdom was called Judah. One of the earlier kings in the southern kingdom of Judah, a descendent of King David, was named Jehoshaphat. On one occasion the armies of three different countries joined together to attack him and invade Judah.

2 Chronicles 20:1-24: 1Some time later the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with their allies, the Meunites, invaded Judah. 2Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: “A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.” (This is another name for Engedi.) 3Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the LORD for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country. 4From every city of Judah people hurried to Jerusalem to ask the LORD for guidance, 5and they and the people of Jerusalem gathered in the new courtyard of the Temple. King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them 6and prayed aloud, “O LORD God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you. 7You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs for ever. [sic] 8They have lived here and have built a temple to honour you, knowing 9that if any disaster struck them to punish them—a war, an epidemic, or a famine—then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshipped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.

10 “Now the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom have attacked us. When our ancestors came out of Egypt, you did not allow them to enter those lands, so our ancestors went round them and did not destroy them. 11This is how they repay us—they come to drive us out of the land that you gave us. 12You are our God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.”

13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children, were standing there at the Temple. 14The spirit of the LORD came upon a Levite who was present in the crowd. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah; he was a member of the clan of Asaph and was descended from Asaph through Mattaniah, Jeiel, and Benaiah. 15Jahaziel said, “Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the LORD says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you. 16Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel. 17You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see the LORD give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. Go out to battle, and the LORD will be with you!”…

20 Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: “People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the LORD your God, and you will stand firm. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed.” 21After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army, singing: “Praise the LORD! His love is eternal!” [Does this sound like a good way to attack an enemy?]

22 When they began to sing, the LORD threw the invading armies into a panic. 23The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting. 24When the Judean army reached a tower that was in the desert, they looked towards the enemy and saw that they were all lying on the ground, dead. Not one had escaped.?Good News Bible.*†‡ [If any army took this approach today, how do you think it would be reported?]

  1. In looking at that story, do you wonder how long it took for Jehoshaphat to call the nation to a fast? How long would it take for the people to gather in Jerusalem? What were their enemies doing during that time? Were they looting the countryside?
  2. If you were approached by a “vast army” of problems in our day, what would be the first thing that would come to your mind to do? Today, what kind of situations might seem like a vast army attacking you? A life-threatening illness? A bad accident? Loss of a family member? A pandemic? How did the people know that it was YAHWEH who was speaking through Jahaziel? Today, how can we know if someone is being guided by God and speaking on God’s behalf? Imagine going out with your military, led by the choir, to face three enormous armies! After they had encountered God at Sinai, God had given the children of Israel specific instructions as to how they were to conquer the land of Palestine. SeeExodus 23:20-33. Don’t you think that would have been God’s instructions for all time?
  3. Ellen White had some very significant things to say about praise.

[EGW:] Then let us educate our hearts and lips to speak the praise of God for His matchless love. Let us educate our souls to be hopeful and to abide in the light shining from the cross of Calvary. Never should we forget that we are children of the heavenly King, sons and daughters of the Lord of hosts. It is our privilege to maintain a calm repose in God.—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing* 253.1.

[EGW:] And while I adore and magnify Him, I want you to magnify Him with me. Praise the Lord even when you fall into darkness. Praise Him even in temptation. “Rejoice in the Lord alway,” says the apostle; “and again I say, Rejoice.” [Philippians 4:4] Will that bring gloom and darkness into your families? No, indeed; it will bring a sunbeam. You will thus gather rays of eternal light from the throne of glory and scatter them around you. Let me exhort you to engage in this work, scatter this light and life around you, not only in your own path, but in the paths of those with whom you associate. Let it be your object to make those around you better, to elevate them, to point them to heaven and glory, and lead them to seek, above all earthly things, the eternal substance, the immortal inheritance, the riches which are imperishable.—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church,* vol. 2, 593.2.

  1. We have already suggested that the ultimate reason for Christians to praise God is because in the end He will be our Savior and Lord.John 5:28-29 andDaniel 12:2 suggest that everyone will be raised back to life. Some will be raised to live eternal; others will be raised to see the final events and the truth about God and then to perish.
  2. There is one very interesting aspect of that final judgment scene of which many are not aware. Think of the story of Achan as recorded in Joshua 7. Achan committed a terrible sin by stealing things from Jericho and hiding them in his tent. But, he compounded that problem by his reluctance to admit his sins. Ellen White, commenting on that occasion, gave us some very serious words.

[EGW:] Achan would not have confessed had he not hoped by so doing to avert the consequences of his crime. But his confession only served to show that his punishment was just. There was no genuine repentance for sin, no contrition, no change of purpose, no abhorrence of evil.

So confessions will be made by the guilty when they stand before the bar of God, after every case has been decided for life or death. [This will occur at the third coming of Christ, after the millennium.] The consequences to result to himself will draw from each an acknowledgment of his sin. It will be forced from the soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. But such confessions cannot save the sinner.

So long as they can conceal their transgressions from their fellow men, many, like Achan, feel secure, and flatter themselves that God will not be strict to mark iniquity. All too late their sins will find them out in that day when they shall not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever. When the records of heaven shall be opened, the Judge will not in words declare to man his guilt, but will cast one penetrating, convicting glance, and every deed, every transaction of life, will be vividly impressed upon the memory of the wrongdoer. The person will not, as in Joshua’s day, need to be hunted out from tribe to family, but his own lips will confess his shame. The sins hidden from the knowledge of men will then be proclaimed to the whole world.?Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 497.4-498.2.†‡ [Every wicked person will be proclaiming to the entire world their sins! Each person will see clearly that everyone has chosen for himself/herself the place where s/he is located.]

  1. On average, do Seventh-day Adventists praise God as we should? Do we rejoice and praise God in our worship services? We specify times for prayer and for singing in our services. Should we have a specific time for praise? Should there be a time for the church community to praise as a group? Ellen White suggested that each week there should be a time in the service for us to recount what God has done and praise His name.
  2. Obviously, there are times we do not feel like praising God! Think of the Israelites in captivity in Babylon, working as slaves for the Babylonians. Eventually, the Babylonians figured out that the Jews were talented at music and singing. And this is what happened:

Psalm 137:1-9: 1By the rivers of Babylon we sat down;

there we wept when we remembered Zion.

2On the willows near by

we hung up our harps.

3Those who captured us told us to sing;

they told us to entertain them:

“Sing us a song about Zion.”…

[However, what do you think of the response of the Israelites?]

8Babylon, you will be destroyed.

Happy are those who pay you back

for what you have done to usC

9who take your babies

and smash them against a rock.?Good News Bible.*†‡

  1. Does that sound like they were rejoicing and praising God even in times of difficulty?
  2. Christians have plenty of reasons for rejoicing and praising God. We need to stop and think about those reasons more frequently. And we need to remember that praising God might actually be a means of witnessing to others.

[BSG:] Horace Williams, Jr., the author of award-winning Unleash the Power of Prayer in Your Life, identifies eight purposes God achieves in our lives when He uses our own suffering for our benefit. According to Williams, God uses suffering to “divulge sin in our lives, develop our faith, demolish our pride, determine our paths, demonstrate His grace, display His love, deepen our commitment to Him, deliver hope, comfort, and joy.”—Horace Williams, Jr., The Furnace of Affliction: How God Uses Our Pain and Suffering for His Purpose, Kindle ed. (Black Lillie Press, 2020), p. 11.

How does God give us joy through suffering? Williams shares that “joy is more than happiness based on an outcome or circumstance. Joy is the supernatural delight in God’s purpose for our lives. Joy is something that God offers us in the midst of our pain and suffering. We must choose to live with joy.”… Williams concludes that “experiencing joy doesn’t mean that I no longer experience pain. Instead, it means that God is bringing me to a place where I now have the inclination to ask Him, ‘What do You want me to see in this distressing circumstance, Lord?’ ”—The Furnace of Affliction: How God Uses Our Pain and Suffering for His Purpose, 90-97.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 119-120.†‡§

  1. We know that in New Testament times and shortly thereafter, Christians faced some severe persecution from the pagan Roman government for about 300 years. One of the most famous stories that has been reported is the story of Polycarp.

[BSG:] Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (a.d. 138–161) continued Emperor Trajan’s policy and practice of persecuting Christians. In a.d. 155, a crowd brought a group of Christians to the authorities of the city of Smyrna in Asia Minor to be convicted and punished. When the Christians refused to acknowledge the gods of the empire, they were punished by death. [They were thrown to the lions.] Afterward, the crowd demanded that Polycarp, the bishop of the church in Smyrna, be brought before the city. A disciple and friend of the apostle John, the old Polycarp also was a widely known and influential Christian leader in Asia and beyond. When Polycarp finally was brought into the amphitheater, the proconsul tried to persuade him to recant his faith and curse Christ.

The faithful disciple of Jesus replied: “For eighty-six years I have served him, and he has done me no evil. How could I curse my king, [sic] who saved me?” When, eventually, the proconsul condemned him to be burned on the pyre and the soldiers tied him to the stake, Polycarp prayed and praised God with a loud voice: “Lord Sovereign God . . . I thank you that you have deemed me worthy of this moment, so that, jointly with your martyrs, I may have a share in the cup of Christ. . . . For this . . . I bless and glorify you. Amen.”—Justo L. González, The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, The Story of Christianity, vol. 1, revised and updated ed. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010), p. 54.?[as quoted in Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 120].‡§

  1. Can you imagine praising God and singing as you are being burned to death? If we had time to review the story in greater depth, we would learn that Polycarp was arrested in a small farming house outside of the city of Smyrna. When the Roman soldiers entered the house, he instructed the woman of the home to prepare something for the soldiers to eat while he stood in the corner and prayed for them.
  2. Those early Christians had a clear picture of the future life. They regarded the brief time during which they would be dead to be just an interlude leading to the second coming.
  3. Note these words from Ellen White.

[EGW:] Like God’s servants of old, many were “tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”... These called to mind the words of their Master, that when persecuted for Christ’s sake, they were to be exceeding glad, for great would be their reward in heaven; for so the prophets had been persecuted before them. They rejoiced that they were accounted worthy to suffer for the truth, and songs of triumph ascended from the midst of crackling flames. Looking upward by faith, they saw Christ and angels leaning over the battlements of heaven, gazing upon them with the deepest interest and regarding their steadfastness with approval. A voice came down to them from the throne of God: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”Revelation 2:10.—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy* 41.2.†‡

Rejoicing under very difficult circumstances is possible only when we are very familiar with the One on whose side we have positioned ourselves.

[BSG:] [Rejoicing during and after crucibles or troubles makes us recognize:] (1) that God is real and that He is good; (2) that He created us, that we are His, that He loves us, and that we love Him back; (3) that the great controversy is real, that it is Satan’s attack on God and on us, and that God is on our side and we are on His; (4) that God redeems us from the power of sin and of Satan and that we and God, in Christ, are, and will be, victorious; and (5) that God’s cause or mission of bringing salvation to the whole world is worth all the suffering we must endure, even, if need be, unto death.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 121-122.

  1. Habakkuk lived a short time before Nebuchadnezzar overran Judah. The situation was very difficult; but, he still had confidence in God.

Habakkuk 3:17-18: 17Even though the fig trees have no fruit

and no grapes grow on the vines,

even though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no corn,

even though the sheep all die

and the cattle stalls are empty,

18I will still be joyful and glad,

because the LORD God is my saviour.?Good News Bible.*

  1. One of the great ways to praise God is through song. There are many famous, familiar songs of praise we could learn. Perhaps we should commit ourselves to learning a new song of praise to God every few weeks. Then, it would be easier for us to praise Him on a regular basis. Are we ready to do that?

©2022, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. Bold type is added. Brackets and content in brackets are added. §Italic type is in the source.                                                                                    Info@theox.org

Last Modified: July 24, 2022