How can I keep from singing Your praise? 

(A little introduction here:  I have been given an invitation to write a blog on praise and thanksgiving by Naphtali_deer@Xanga.  I should be writing this of my own volition, and probably would have, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity to praise and thank my Lord Jesus Christ, and I am glad to have you "listen in".  Please do.  Please share my joy!)

Thank you, Lord, first of all for redeeming me.  Your wonderful gift of Life which you purchased for me with Your blood at Calvary makes all my other thanks possible.  Without You, I would be nothing.  I wouldn't even know You.  I am so grateful to know that I am Your son...Your beloved.  *whisper of thanks here*

Thank you for my beautiful wife, another one You call beloved.  I have tried to show my thanks for her by showing her unselfish love, but my love can never come close to the love You have for her.  And my kids.  I recognized them as gifts from you from the first day I held each of them in the hospital.  Thank You, thank You, Lord.  You have multiplied my life on earth by many times through them.

Thank you Jesus for Your friends, my brothers and sisters in You.  You have taught me through them, You have loved me through them, You have encouraged me through them, and You have given them to me as gifts to cherish for all eternity.

Thank you Lord for the songs You have inspired...for the heights of joy and the depths of devotion expressed in the hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs given to me by Your children.  Thanks for the stories, movies, poems, and art that You have inspired your children to create out of love for You and to communicate that love to the watching, listening world.

Thank you Lord for your written Word.  The Word that Your Holy Spirit  moved on holy men of old to write so that we could come to know You and Your purpose for each of us.  Thank you for plainly dealing with our sins and lack of wisdom, teaching us, admonishing us, encouraging us.  Your Word is so beautiful! Who is like You O Lord?  There is none like You!

Thank you for the breath-taking beauty of Your creation!  I have seen a glimpse of Your glory in the depths of space - the mysterious stellar "clouds," the nebulae, the binary stars, the globular clusters, the comets, asteroids, planets...all I can do is stare in awe and wonder that You have made all this.  All creation comes from You and is for You!  Lest I forget, thank you Lord for the tiniest things: snow flakes, flowers, and animals...everything that you have created you have also given us the capacity to delight in them.

Thank you God for eternity.  Thank you for the place You have prepared for those of us who are your children.  Thank you in advance for the work you have prepared for me for all eternity.  Though I shall enter Your final rest, I shall not have to be idle...You will continue to teach me, to use me, and to love me forever and ever....what small, inadequate words, but thank You my Sovereign Lord, Lover of my soul, God of my heart * whisper, again, thanks*

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

" O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.  I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

  This is the end of the recorded conversation Jesus had with His Father just before the betrayal of Judas.  He and the Father had brought events to the climax.  The plan of God to make His family one - those who believe becoming the sons of God, though already settled in heaven was about to be enacted on earth.

Earlier, Jesus had told the story that we all know as the "Parable of the Lost Son:"

“There was a man who had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.  Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.  And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.  And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him....

The son's plan to forfeit his sonship and become as a hired servant to his father was futile.  The father could no more listen to that speech than cut off his own arm.  Though his son had sinned (as the son admitted to himself) the father knows that this is his son and still an heir and still very much loved... he "kissed him."

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God."  (Galatians 4: 4-7)

Henri Nouwen, in his book "The Return of the Prodigal Son," (Doubleday, 1992, p.53) says:

"One of the greatest challenges of the spiritual life is to receive God's forgiveness. There is something in us humans that keeps us clinging to our sins and prevents us from letting God erase our past and offer us a completely new beginning. Sometimes it even seems as though I want to prove to God that my darkness is too great to overcome. While God wants to restore me to the full dignity of sonship, I keep insisting that I will settle for being a hired servant. But do I truly want to be restored to the full responsibility of the son? Do I truly want to be so totally forgiven that a completely new way of living becomes possible? Do I trust myself and such a radical reclamation? Do I want to break away from my deep-rooted rebellion against God and surrender myself so absolutely to God's love that a new person can emerge? Receiving forgiveness requires a total willingness to let God be God and do all the healing, restoring, and renewing. As long as I want to do even a part of that myself, I end up with partial solutions, such as becoming a hired servant. As a hired servant, I can still keep my distance, still revolt, reject, strike, run away, or complain about my pay. As the beloved son, I have to claim my full dignity..."

There is an insight in this paragraph as to why the legalists - in fact all of us find some comfort in retaining some "control" over the process of our salvation, sanctification, and glorification. It is not about gratitude to God for saving us that is the underlying motive. It's about MY sovereignty, MY free will, MY autonomy. It's plain UGLY!! What we are willing to settle for is "filthy rags" instead of the robe of His righteousness, a cheap paste imitation jewel instead of the ring of Sonship, a mess of pottage instead of the rich food of the wedding feast!

Is God having that?  Is he leaving it all up to us to determine what shall be the result of His work?  No!  Read on: 

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.  And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  

But the father said to his servants,  ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.  And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

This is my dream.  I've been told that it is the place to start - a dream.  It would be more dramatic if I could honestly say that this dream came to me while I was sleeping.  Actually, it has been coming to me in bits and pieces, over time, taking a shape that I could not even visualize until just now.

In my dream, the scenery is very much like what I have been seeing in my "real" life.  The people - many of them - look very familiar.  I want to call out their names, but I'm not sure that they would respond.  I mean - could these be the people that they look like to me?  This looks like the world I am accustomed to living in, but there is one notable exception:  There is a sweetness in the air...a gladness...a quietness...a confidence.  God is present here.  But, I thought that God has always been here - everywhere, all of the time.   At this time, it is special.  God is here, and we are rejoicing - some more inwardly, quietly smiling to themselves - some dancing and singing gleefully.  This is the day that the Lord has made, and we are rejoicing and glad.  

The reason that everything is so much different from the "normal" is the Joy of the Lord.  The ECONOMY is no longer "tough."  The PLANET is no longer in danger from the excesses of man.  The DROUGHT is over.  But wait, this is not heaven -yet.  This is the same world that it was before I began dreaming this dream.  Now, though (in my dream) God is regarded as sovereign.  His Word is regarded as true.  The Holy Spirit holds sway in the hearts of believers....That's it.  Believers are truly believers.  They trust in the power of God to save and keep them forever.  They no longer have to toil under the disapproving eye of a God who will reject them at the slightest  provocation.  God's children serve their Lord with gladness.  They come before His presence with singing.  They trust in the Lord and do not depend on their own understanding.  In everything, they glorify God and give thanks to Him. 

How did all of this come about?  Well in the first place, the circumstances of life: the economy, the environment, the weather, etc. have not changed one iota....What has happened is that believers have become BELIEVERS.  They no longer work to gain favor with the Lord.  They want to bear one another's burdens.  While it is true that they are the same people in my dream...born again, but not yet in their glorified immortal bodies,  the difference is that they are led by the Spirit AND filled with the Spirit afresh every day.  They are coming to the well for the Living Water to be refreshed.  They are  being washed daily with the water of the Word.  They are living in the Joy of the Lord and that is their strength and stability.

This dream is only a shadow of the joys of living in Heaven with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Because there will be no sin there.  God will walk about among us and we with Him.  I believe that God has given some of us this dream because it is possible for the brethren to live in peace, worshiping the One who is worthy to be praised.  It is impossible for US to live the Christian life.  Christ is our life.  Our security, our assurance, our ability, our joy is in knowing that!

Come let us bow down and worship Him.  Let us adore Him and praise Him, and yes, let us enjoy Him!  There is no need to "wake up" from this dream.  The world needs to know that Christ is real and that KNOWING and serving Him is wonderful and joyful!