GOD IS THE BEST!

Hey! My heart is really full this morning as we walked our mile and 1/2 about 6:30a.m.! Still nice and cool, yet I was sweating by the time we returned. Such a great start to the day. Even Max the dog was impressed. Breakfast tasted wonderfully good. Again, Max thought so, too.

Got to my journal early and had a need to write about God. Strange, you say?...Well, of course I am.

I found just the thing for the day in the Psalms, #95, verses 1-3a to be exact. This is what it says:
"Come, let's shout praises to God! Let's raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let's march into His presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!
And why? Because God is the BEST!"

There was no acknowledgment as to who wrote this psalm. Perhaps it was written by a choirmaster who wrote it particularly for those who walked with their villagers to Jerusalem on some special day God had set aside for them to come to the Temple. As they walked they sang psalms and hymns, preparing themselves for adoration and honor to the God they loved.

Not so different today. But most of us drive a car, and therefore, we need parking places--one of the problems of our churches today! But that's not important. It's the preparation of the heart that's important. And that may be the hardest part for us--not leaving the house in a rush to be on time with shoes un-laced and attitudes not calm and adoring. We need an "I can't wait!" attitude. Believe me, I remember trying to get kids to church without screaming at them. I have no solution. I just know that somehow we must show them-and ourselves-we, indeed, are excited about worship! Maybe singing a song of praise in the car, letting each child choose one he or she likes. Or talking about what a song means. Anything that gets an attitude of gladness.

The word "come" is the first word in the message today. That means, "you." If you say it to a neighbor, it means him or her. It's an invitation. "Come and see the best, our God." And see Him on the faces of those who love Him and one another.

Next, soon comes the words, "Shout praises!" This is not the time for silence before God. God loves our praises, and this is the hour for it.

God is "the Rock!" This the Rock on which we base our lives and we want God to know it, to remember it, and to help us to show it. We want others to know it, too.

Finally, His Presence..Oh, yes! We find God there. He is in the very aroma of the room. He is on our faces, shining in our eyes. He is always there in that room, in the rafters hung with banners, in the band leading, singing, and playing, and in us as we raise our hands in praises and Hallelujahs!

Because, God, YOU are the best!

(Who are you inviting? Who am I inviting?) Amen.

Fondly, Jo