Journal Entry // May 9, 2021
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
Psalm 150:6 ESV
Positive and negative, praise and condemnation, light and dark, righteous and unrighteous, truth and lies, contentment and desire, love and hate, joy and sadness, peace and conflict, patience and anxiety, kindness and harmful, goodness and selfishness, faithfulness and betrayal, gentleness and harshness, self-control and covering.
What is my life reflecting in the lives of others as they watch me walk this path set out before me? Do people see the qualities of a faithful humble follower of Christ, or do they see the prideful arrogant pretender? What do I see when I look at myself and reflect on my heart?
Too often I see the failings of my heart and mind and fixate on how miserable and wicked my ways have become. It’s as though I filter my view through a lens tainted with sin and I only see the darkness still lurking and lingering. This lens causes me to fixate on the failings that seem so prevalent that I lose perspective and I become unable to view myself properly. Life becomes so overwhelmingly depressing that apathy and listlessness begin to reign.
But this is not how it should be. It’s true that I should be mindful of the sin that is still active in my heart that is causing me to drift away from holiness, but I need to over balance this with praise to the lord. I need to remember all his goodness and grace and mercy to me. I need to let the beauty of Christ overwhelm me. This life is filled with lots of difficulties and adversities and trials. I don’t need to add depression and despair. God’s good remedy for my soul is to praise him.
To take stock of all the good works of the Lord. Works in the past and works in the future. I don’t really do a great job of this. I need to make this a part of my daily habit and routine. I need to have not only God’s revealed word speaking into my life, but I also need his revealed work. I need this daily inflow of God’s love filling me. The more I see Jesus the less I will want sin. The more I run toward him the more he will draw me close. The more I deny myself and take up my cross the more joyful my heart will be.
The heart of Christ invites me to come and labor with him. It’s only in him that my soul will find peace and rest. It’s there that joy will spring forth from my heart. It’s in Jesus that I experience life in the fullness of purpose. This is my purpose… To praise the Lord!