“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” (Matthew 15:8-9)

The Scripture is filled with praise. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we should be people of praise. Peter would express to the church the reasons and the depth of our praise. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5) The hope we have in Jesus Christ for His presence in our lives now and the promise of eternity with Him should fill His followers with praise.

Scripture also gives us a warning concerning our praise. We must be people who praise God from our hearts. Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” (Matthew 15:8-9) Our praise comes from our hearts. Our hearts find their foundation for our praise through our love for God. The greatest commandment, tells us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Our praise flows from our love for God.

Our love of God comes through His love for us. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. . .. We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:9-10,19) Our praise begins because of His love for us.

We are able to praise Him, because we have received a new and eternal life through His love for us. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5) This brings us to Peter and his reasons for our praise to God. We praise Him because we have been born anew and given a new life. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:4-5) We praise Him because of the eternal inheritance we have waiting for us. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

When God infuses our lives with His presence, we are motivated to express our praise to Him through the life He provides with His love. His unending love for us will fill us with praise for all eternity.

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block