A CRESCENDO OF PRAISE

"Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with timbrel and dancing, praise Him with the strings and pipe, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."  (Psalm 150 NIV)

Psalm 150 doesn’t whisper… it shouts. It’s the final note in the Psalter’s symphony, a call to worship that echoes through every corner of creation. There’s no mention of struggle, lament, or petition here -- just pure, unfiltered praise.

The psalmist invites us to praise God everywhere (“in His sanctuary… in His mighty heavens”), for everything (“His acts of power… His surpassing greatness”), and with everything (“trumpet… harp… dancing… cymbals”). It’s a full-bodied celebration of who God is and what He’s done.

But this isn’t just about instruments -- it’s about intention. Whether you’re a musician, a writer, a teacher, or a parent, your life can be an instrument of praise. The question isn’t whether you have breath -- it’s what you’re doing with it.

Praise isn’t confined to Sunday mornings. Let your daily routines become sacred rhythms of worship. Use your gifts -- writing, photography, design, music -- to reflect God’s glory. Every medium can become a melody of praise. Are you using your breath to complain, criticize, or compare,… or to praise, encourage, and uplift? Let everything that has breath praise the Lord -- everyone, every way, everywhere, every breath. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™, compiled from a variety of sources

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THE RISEN CHRIST IS WITH US – Part 1 of 2

“Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”  (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)

At this very moment when I write and at the very moment when you read these words, you and I are in the presence of the living Christ. To remember this truth is to be shaped constantly by the presence of God in Christ in our lives. We often forget this central truth of the Christian faith, and when we do [forget], we are easily overcome by the troubles of the world.

For me, what I write will pass before the eyes of the One about whom I write. As I write, I hope that my ordinary capacity will be energized, directed, and used by the One who gives me life and has called me to this ministry. If I allow myself to think that this ministry… is all up to me, I risk feelings from despair to arrogance. However, if I remember that I am not alone, but think, work, and live in the presence of the living Christ, I remain hopeful that even the most simple and ordinary task carried out in that presence and with the assistance of Jesus Christ is sacred, meaningful, and useful.

For you, what you read comes not from the word processor of someone full of years and short of energy or imagination. For these words are now read and heard in the presence of Jesus Christ who is able to use the most simple and ordinary words and events to enlighten, comfort, heal, and direct the seeking heart. 

-- Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

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LET YOUR WORK HONOR GOD

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  (1 Corinthians 10:31b NIV)

Journalist William Zinsser’s first job was writing for the Buffalo News. Traditionally cub reporters often start by writing obituaries, but Zinsser was frustrated with his assignment. I could be doing Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporting, he thought to himself, and I’m stuck writing obituaries. Writers don’t win Pulitzers for obituaries. Finally he worked up enough courage and asked his editor, “When am I going to get some decent story assignments?”

“Listen, kid!” his crusty old editor growled at him. “Nothing you write will ever get read as carefully as what you are writing right now. You misspell a word, you mess up a date, and a family will be hurt. But you do justice to somebody’s grandmother, to somebody’s mom, you make a life sing, and they will be grateful forever. They will put your words in laminate.”

Things changed.

“I pledged I would make the extra calls,” Zinsser said. “I would ask the extra questions. I would go the extra mile.”

That is essentially from the Sermon on the Mount -- write obituaries for others as you would want others to write an obituary for you -- obituaries that deserved to be laminated -- because someday, somebody will. Zinsser eventually moved on to other kinds of writing, including a book on writing itself that has sold more than a million copies. But none of it would have happened if he had not devoted himself to obituaries.

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”


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