TITLE:  A WISE PERSON DOES NOT FORGET THE SOURCE OF BLESSING. 

TITLE:  A WISE PERSON DOES NOT FORGET THE SOURCE OF BLESSING. 

SCRIPTURE:

“Praise the Lord.  I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.  2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.  3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.  4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.  5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.  6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.  7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.  8 They are established forever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.  9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever, holy and awesome in his name.  10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise.”  (Psalms 111:1–10 NIV)

OBSERVATION:

            The psalmist seems grateful to the Lord that he burst out of praise.  He said I WILL praise the Lord with all of my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.  We can all praise the Lord wherever and whenever we have the opportunity.  But there is no place where the presence of God will be honored and praised by all among the council of the upright and in the assembly of all who love him and honor him.  The power of praise that is raised among those who truly honor and appreciate who God is is incomparable.  The Psalmist said, Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. 

            How grateful are we to remember all the works of the Lord in our own lives?  Do we take delight when we look at God’s work in our lives?  The works of the Lord in our lives are glorious and majestic and endure forever.  This Psalmist listed all that God has done in his life and how delighted he is to be the recipient of God’s goodness.  God has done so many wonders in our lives that are worthy of our praise.  God has been gracious and compassionate toward us. 

• God provides food for those who fear him
• God remembers his covenant
• God shows the power of his works, giving them lands of other nations.  The work of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.  They are forever and ever enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
• God provided redemption for his people.

This list the psalmist gave is worthy for me to ponder and to think about what God has done for me.  He has done so much.  He is worthy of my praise.  All the blessings I ever receive in my life are based on the character of God.  He is worthy of our trust and praise.  I must up my praise and make it a daily routine to bless the Lord and shout his praise among his people.  To me, the goodness of God must inspire my daily praise and worship.  God is good. 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have a good understanding.  A wise person remembers God as a source of all his blessings.  A wise person honors the source of their wisdom.  A wise person follows God’s precepts and thus receives a good understanding of how to conduct their lives.  Precepts are principles and rules of life that give one’s life direction.  The psalmist says that a wise person follows God’s precepts and gains an understanding of how God works things out in their lives, thus a great reason to praise the Lord. 

APPLICATION:

            I want to be a wise person who remembers and is knowledgeable about how God works in my life.  I want to always be grateful for the many blessings that God has showered my life with.  I am forever thankful for the wisdom he has poured over my life.  I am grateful that God is my provider.  Morever, he keeps his promises in my life, he provides redemption, and most of all wisdom so I may walk with him daily.  A wise person remembers, a foolish person forgets the source of life. 

PRAYER:

            Heavenly Father, I ask that you grant me the wisdom to know and understands your ways.  I ask that you teach me to walk in obedient fear of you in my life.  I ask that you pour out your wisdom, and favor over my life.  I want to praise you for your goodness and for being the Father that takes good care of me and my family.  I look to you daily.  Amen!