Have You Blessed God Today?

Today, I'm reminded of an old hymn I heard many years ago. I am not making this up. You can come look at my notes.

I love Mr. Stewart. I think we're carved from the same cloth, only a few decades in between us. There's an old song. I know some of you know it. It was first published in 1897. I can't remember the man's first name. I think it may be Jonathan J. Oatman. I'm sure Miss Olcom knows it. It's called, Count Your Blessings.

I think the words are easy to understand. Bring in the sheaves. I always thought it said, Bring in the cheese. Then, bringing in the chiefs. I thought maybe that was a football song.

This old song is words that are pretty easy to remember. Count Your Blessings. The inspiration for the hymn comes from Ephesians 1, verse 3. You don't need to turn there. It reads, Bless be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. To this day, the song Simple Refrain, and I don't know if I need to try to sing it, but it goes something like, Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. A little low. That's why he sings and I don't.

But, of course, that little ditty gets stuck in our heads, doesn't it? It's probably there now, and that's okay. But the message of the hymn is like its melody and rhythm. It's meant to lift our hearts when we're feeling low. And it's also meant to shift our attention back to God, where really our focus should be.

So as I work my way through the sermon today, I'd like for us to begin by counting just a few of the many blessings God hath done in our lives. But before I talk about the first blessing, I think I'd better give you the title. The title of the sermon. The title of the sermon is, Have You Blessed God Today? Have you blessed God today?

Now, God gives us many blessings. And I don't know if any of us have the time of a whole day to go through all the blessings. We really got it down to the little bits and pieces God does for us. But let's just talk about some of the basic ones, common ones that we might say we all share. For example, what about our very existence? I'll start there. God has given us life. And aren't we grateful that He did not just give us any old life, such as the life of a slug or of a squirrel? As interesting as those creatures God also created, I'm sure are. Aren't we glad He created us as we are as human beings? Let's look at Psalm 8, verse 3. And I'm not going to spend a lot of time at this point. We're just going to touch upon some familiar scriptures, refresh our memories.

In Psalm 8, verse 3 through 5, it was King David who was inspired to write these words addressed to God. He said, when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, let's consider even the beautiful scenery again behind us today, the beautiful waterfall. When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, the stars which you have ordained, David says, what is man that you are mindful of him and the Son of man that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him, you have crowned man with glory and honor.

That's his purpose here. Then, still in Psalms, and you can jot this down, Psalm 139, Psalm 139, verse 13 through 14, David wrote again, he also said, For you formed my inward parts, you covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. I just happened to catch an article on the Internet yesterday. They're doing more research about babies, and they discovered that even in the womb, babies are drawn to a face, and they had this little bright three red lights that look like a little triangle, and they hold it against the mother's tummy, and the baby in the womb will turn its face to look at those three lights.

Somehow God is already putting that child's mind, the ability to want to look at a human face. Isn't that amazing? And it struck me as working on this, that that is indeed a marvel, that is wondrous to behold. Our human lives are really incredible, aren't they? Even as scientists unveil to us more and more understanding about our bodies, we are still in awe, I think, of what God has done. Yet despite what they'll uncover and learn, they'll never uncover the future God will reveal to every human being in due time.

And that is our future as children, the family of God. That's just what we heard about in the sermonette today. And there's other blessings. I'm just going to go down a list here real quick. Consider the blessing of this glorious day, this almost summertime day. It feels like summer, but we're not right there yet. The seasons. Here we are in planet Earth, the vast of trillions and trillions of planets. I've mentioned before, and here we are. How about the blessing of air conditioning? Comfortable chairs, pleasant building, sound that works. And we meet here together to worship and fellowship God. What a blessing that is, too.

God provides us with all our needs and our human existence. Let's look at Matthew 6.25. Now, I know we tend to worry about these things, but Jesus was telling his disciples, and he still tells us today, don't fret. Don't be overly anxious about these things. Matthew 6.25, God's going to take care of us. He's going to put us in a situation where he'll provide a way for us to have our needs met. That's his promise. Matthew 6.25, Jesus said, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Yes. Once God opens our minds to understand it, we begin to see a different picture. Much better and bigger picture, don't we? Then down in verse 31 through 34, Jesus then asked, or adds, excuse me, he adds, Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? What are we going to drink? What do we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek, and they don't know God. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, but seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble, its own concerns. And so believing Christ's words and living accordingly should give us an additional blessing that we call peace, call contentment. We can get along in this world.

God is also provided for our spiritual needs through the blessing of his holy scriptures, hasn't he? The Bible has been preserved for centuries, as we have it now, and there are portions of the Bible that have been preserved for millennia, thousands of years. And yet God preserved it and allowed it to be put so simply in so many different versions and millions of copies right here in our fingertips.

What a blessing that is! God wanted to be sure that we would know his truth, that we could study about his law so that we might receive his instruction, so that we might have guidance, and so that we might have that spiritual food we need to thrive. And where would you and I be without the blessing of the knowledge of God's law? Where would you be? Where would I be? I wouldn't be here. I really doubt it.

Where would we be without God's definition of sin? Without knowing right from wrong? Without knowing good from evil? We wouldn't even know the way of life versus the way of death. We wouldn't know any of that.

We can exclaim, then, along with David, in Psalm 119, verses 97-101. And you can turn there. I'll wait a second here and I'll turn back. It's Psalm 119, verses 97. And I'm confident we've all, as we've been learning more about God and building our relationship with Him individually and as families, I'm sure with David we can say this as well.

Psalm 119, verse 97, David wrote, O how I love your law. Can we say that? Can we say that to God? I really love your law, God Father. It is my meditation all the day. You, through your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies. For they, your commandments, are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers. For your testimonies are my meditation. And I understand more than the ancients, because I keep your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word.

Again, God's law, His word, what a beautiful, beautiful blessing. God blesses us. God blesses us with marriage and family and anniversaries. Beautiful things. God, our Father, has blessed us also with the most profound understanding that He Himself is in the process of expanding His family.

We human beings are still a work in progress. It's a process, but we're in progress. He calls some people now in this age. We don't know why He called us, but here we are. He called us in this age with the blessing of becoming first fruits in the kingdom of God.

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 15. How often do you think about this blessing? 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 51 through 54.

Here, the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15, 51, 51. All writes, We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Death is swallowed up in victory. I know we all look forward to that day when the blessing, when death is dead. Death will be dead. There will be no more death. Of course, to help us be spiritually prepared for service in his kingdom, God also allows us to undergo the blessings of trials. The blessings of trials in this life. Let's be turning back to Matthew 5. Matthew 5, verse 3. Actually, it's verses 3 through 11. I'm just going to be reading bits of this. Matthew 5, verse 3. This is the opening beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. The blessings of trials in this life. Now, Matthew 5, verse 3 through 11, Jesus alluded to the fact that we may well suffer in this life. We may well suffer in this life. He makes that point in a series of blessings, and I'm just going to read a few here. Just parts of them. Matthew 5, verse 3. Look, he said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, the humble, but they're also going to be poor physically, materially. Verse 4, he said, Blessed are those who mourn. We're going to suffer loss. We're going to feel grief. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We're going to wish for times and pray for times when God would quickly come and make things right, because we're sick of the injustice. We're sick of unfairness. And then verse 11, he says, Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say, All kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. We don't like the idea of being persecuted, but I think we'll hold our chins up and take it on the chin, if that's what it takes, to stand up for our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ. Now, these are rather strange blessings to our ears, it may seem. Imagine, to be blessed even though we must suffer with hardship and sorrow.

We don't like to suffer, but we recognize that we become better people with God's help through those trials.

So again, we may suffer unjustly through persecution because we do believe in Christ, we live by His word. When that happens, we must count it as one of those blessings. 1 Peter 3.13 gives a little more background, or more elaborates this idea a little bit more. 1 Peter 3.13.

Peter is instructing us of the value of suffering. 1 Peter 3.13-14, Peter writes, And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? Yeah, some people may pick on you and treat you wrong, but what can they really do when you're following Jesus Christ?

And he says, Do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. Don't let that be your focus. Let's also turn to the next chapter, chapter 4, 1 Peter 4.

And also verse 14, 1 Peter 4.14. Peter adds, If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. On your part, on His part, for your part, what you're going through God is glorified.

So with our eternal salvation at risk and our need to endure with God until our physical lives end, then our lives may seem at times consumed with battles to overcome the self, to overcome society and Satan. But all that we are reminded here, all the suffering we may undergo for that is well worth it. And with the help of God's Holy Spirit in us and with us, we can endure. And along with Paul, where he says in Philippians 4.13, along with Paul, if we endure and hang on tight, we'll be able to say and do, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We'll never make it on our own. It's only with Christ in us and with us who strengthens us.

Now these are just a few blessings. Just a few, but they're whoppers, aren't they? They're great. They're wonderful and awesome. They're just a few of the blessings we share. Perhaps at times we really should try to list all the blessings, to count the blessings our most gracious Father gives us. And you know, I tried it some time ago, and it was really hard. There's too many.

But it was good. And if you haven't done it, maybe you should try, because you'll find it to be a very humbling and at the same time a very inspiring experience. It'll help put life in perspective for you. Now, because God so generously blesses humanity, we do find exhortations in Scripture that we are to bless God. We are to bless God. Let's notice a few examples. Let's turn back to Deuteronomy 8.10. Way back in Deuteronomy 8.10. We are exhorted, encouraged to bless God.

Deuteronomy 8.10 reads, When you have eaten in our fall, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. It's not a suggestion. You shall bless the Lord your God. Here, the Hebrew word for bless is barak. Barak. B-A-R-A-K. It's Strong's H1288. And according to Strong's definitions, barak is related to a verb meaning to kneel, to bend the knee. And so, by implication, to bless God is an act of adoration. It's somewhat of an act of worship. It's a recognition that we bow before God when we bless God. Let's also turn to Psalm 103. In Psalm 103, another reference to our need to bless God.

Psalm 103, verses 1-2. Psalm of David begins with this proclamation, exhortation. Bless the Lord, O my soul! And all that is in thin me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Don't forget all of those blessings. We find the command, bless the Lord, is given four more times in the same Psalm, down in verses 20-22. In the Hebrew word, barak is used each time here as well, except once. Back in verse 1, the second word, bless, verse 1, says, Bless the Lord, O my soul, all that is within me, bless his holy name. That word, bless his holy name, there's a different Hebrew word used. That Hebrew word is kodesh, and it's spelled K-O-D-E-S-H. That's Strong's H-6942. Kodesh essentially means a sacred thing, something that's holy or set apart. Kodesh is the same word used when Moses, who was standing near the burning bush, was ordered to remove his sandals for the ground on which he stood, was holy. It was holy. Now together, these Hebrew words begin to help us form an understanding of what to bless God means. To bless God means to respect him, and his name as an act of adoration. That means we must treat God with greater regard than anyone or anything else. That's part of what bless God means. And likewise, we must treat his name differently than any other name. Any other name we might say or hear, we must treat his name differently. For his name too is holy.

How then do we bless God? How do we bless God? That's quite the question, isn't it? Here he's given us so much. So much. How do we then bless God, who has given us absolutely everything we've ever received and have? Everything we hope to receive?

How does one bless God? Let's turn to Psalm 145. We're going to spend a little bit of time here now in Psalm 145, because Psalm 145 gives us some very good directions, gets us started in a very good way of what we should do and can do when we want to bless and should bless God.

Now, Psalm 145 you'll see is entitled, A Praise of David. This psalm is a hymn, a hymn of praise. Specifically, it's a thanksgiving hymn, a thanksgiving psalm to David. Excuse me, to God from David. In this hymn, David declares how God blesses us and why we should bless God. David declares how God blesses us and why we should bless God. Now, I don't know about your particular King James Version. That's what I'm using. The King James Version often times will break the psalm up into what we might call stanzas or maybe paragraphs. And that's how I'm going to approach this. We're going to take this a bit at a time and move our way through this whole psalm. Just bit by bit. We'll pause and think about it and talk about what we find there. So this is a hymn of praise. And as praise, it begins again with exuberance. Kind of like a shout. A calling out of praise to God. Everybody take notice in here. Verse 1 through 3. David writes, I will extol you, my God, O King. I will bless, Barak, your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Extol there in the first line means extol, by the way. Verse 3, Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.

Great weight has started a hymn of praise to God, isn't it? It's all fired up. It's enthusiastic, powerful.

And it's with this sort of enthusiasm, it's very personal, though. Do you notice how it's first person?

David says, I will extol you. I will bless your name. It's first person. He's speaking directly to God. David's heart is filled with praise for God, for His King. I will bless and praise God's name every day. He says, forever and ever. Well, it seems to suggest that David must have had some inkling, some understanding that he would live in eternity, in God's Kingdom. He makes reference to it further down in this psalm. That he must await a future immortal existence. He had great reason to praise God. How he begins is with great eagerness to bless and to praise our God. Verse 4-7, David continues speaking directly to God. Here in Verse 4-7, he describes the actions that he and others will take to ensure that praise for God will endure, that other people will hear about it. Let's pay attention here as we read these verses 4-7.

As a former English teacher, I know and share with you that it is very important to pay attention to the verbs. The meaning is in the verbs. Let's look here at verse 4. I have two English teachers over here nodding their head with me, so it's not just me. 4-7. We've got a lot of teachers in this room, don't we? That's great. Verse 4-1 generation shall praise your works to one another and shall declare your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of your awesome acts, and I will declare your greatness. They shall utter the memory of your great goodness and sing of your righteousness. Look at those verbs. You see there's a lot of action going on. There's a lot of sharing of ideas and experiences that are going to go on. Do we understand what David would do to ensure that praise for God endures? Let's think about what we just read. In verse 4, he states that praise for God's works and its mighty acts will be passed along, in other words, from generation to generation. He's going to have a part in doing that. In verse 5, he says he will meditate, meaning contemplate deeply over God's words about God's sovereignty and astounding works. And undoubtedly, David's thinking it over in planning to teach others, to share with others what he has learned about God's highest authority. Verse 6 suggests that he will share with others the accounts of God's miraculous intervention and faithfulness. He's going to write some things down for posterity's sake. Verse 7 indicates that the songs will be written about the things God has done.

Now, what does David have to do with songs written about God?

Yeah. You can jot this reference down in 2 Samuel 23.1. It's very interesting. David was known as the sweet psalmist. The sweet psalmist. That's what people called him before he died. He wrote all the top 10s, top 40s, top 100s about God. In fact, if you read back in 1 Kings and elsewhere, you'll find that he did much to establish choirs of Levites and bands, we might say, to have their part in the worship of God. David knew a lot about music. He knew the power of music and passing along information, specifically information about God.

Verse 8-9, here David turns, as it were, he turns from addressing God directly, and now it seems as if he's turning to look at you and me to those who hear or read the psalm, and he's reading the psalm. Now David declares the attributes of God's character. In verse 8-9, he says, the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He is slow to anger and great in mercy. David learned these things through his own life experiences. Verse 9, he says, the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.

God doesn't play favorites. He treats all people with love and justice and concern. God's compassion, his mercy, his goodness is extended to every human being over every work of his hands. This even suggests future generations as well. Continuing in verse 10-13, now David shifts back to speaking directly to God. He directly addresses God once more. He says in verse 10, All your works, your creation, shall praise you, O Lord, and your saints shall bless you. Your saints shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and talk of your power to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

In these verses, David reveals more of his insight about God's kingdom. The saints, he says especially, will have an important part in praising and blessing God. They will talk with others about God's greatness and his kingdom. We get the sense here that the saints will be teaching others about God, about his kingdom, his authority, those mighty works, his eternal sovereignty. In essence, the saints will spread the news about the real reality. In many ways, it strikes me the saints will be doing the work that the church of God does even now, proclaiming the good news, the coming kingdom of God. Verse 14-16, David next describes in more detail the compassion and mercy of God. It's compassion and mercy God has for those who seek him, who hear him, and turn their faces to him. The Lord upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. Verse 15, the eyes of all look expectantly to you, and you give them their food in due season. It reminds us what Christ said about not worrying about our needs. Verse 16, David says, you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

In verse 14, then we learn that God upholds the weak and the weary. Then David continues, addressing God directly again, to praise him for the care that he gives. His words not only assure us of God's provision for our needs, but also assures us that God provides for humanity's spiritual needs. He's going to take care of our desire, and whether we know it or not, a lot of people don't. What they really need and what they really desire is God. God in his true strength, in his true comfort, in his true food, his spiritual food. In verse 17-21, David concludes his song of praise and blessing to God with words that proclaim God's righteousness and compassion. It's the words that proclaim God's righteousness and compassion to those who love him. We may be getting the point here where we feel like he's repeating things. Unlike today, we get tired of repetition. We think repetition is a bad thing. In ancient times, they purposely repeated things because it was that important. Each time it was spoken, it was like a hammer hit. Remember this. Remember this. Remember this. Verse 17-21, The Lord is righteous in all his ways, gracious in all his works, suggesting that God is pure. There's no shadow of turning. We've heard with God. The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. You see, God answers our prayers. He hears us when we call on him. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him, those who humbly revere him. He will also hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserves all who love him. Preserves him. It almost suggests to us this concept, this idea of immortality. He's going to preserve those who love him. With all the wicked, he will destroy.

It seems to suggest the second death. My mouth, David says, my mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord. In all flesh shall bless his holy name forever and ever. One day, everyone will bless and praise God forever and ever. David's words suggest an end-time fulfillment, when all people will know God, those who care to know God, and God will bless them in his name forever. This hymn will know God and bless him in his name forever and ever. So this hymn of praise concludes, then, with David's declaration, as it were, of commitment, his commitment to praise God. David counts himself as being one of many, many, many people in the end time, when Christ's kingdom is on earth, that would be praising God in his name. Let me summarize. Let's just back off here a little bit and think, what did we just do? What can we learn from Psalm 145 about blessing God, and also with our knowledge of these words, the meaning of the words, bless and praise. What can we summarize? What can we take away here? Well, first, here's the first big point from Psalm 145. I hinted at this already. When referring to God, the words for bless and praise, they tell us that we must make a distinction. There must be a difference in the way we think about and talk about God. When we have our thoughts about God, what he's about, when we share conversations about God, we need to talk about him differently.

We must regard God alone as worthy of worship, our only worship. That's because he is holy. When we think or talk about God, we must do so from attitude of humility, of deep, most profound respect and honor. He is the God of all the universe, of all creation.

That suggests, well, it tells us actually, it tells us that we mustn't talk about God flippantly. We're told not to take God's name in vain. We must be careful even in thinking about God. In our conversations about God, we're respectful because God is listening. He does listen. If we speak disrespectfully of God, then we are not blessing God. That is not a blessing to God. God is truly awesome. He is worthy of our worship. That means our thoughts and words should reflect just that. Second, David in this psalm gives us multiple reasons why he will bless God. These are multiple reasons why we, too, should bless God. God is to be blessed for these reasons. Verse 7, God is to be blessed because of his goodness and his righteousness. We bless God because of his goodness and righteousness. In verse 8, we learn we bless God because he is gracious and compassionate to us. Verse 9 tells us to bless God because he is so very patient and so very merciful. Aren't we all glad of that?

Verse 13, God is our eternal sovereign God. He is the ultimate authority over all creation. He made it. He is the one responsible.

And yet we learn in verse 14 that God is most kind and most speedy to help. Isn't it amazing that you think of all that God has done and all the billions of people, and yet we know when we cry out to him in dire need in case of emergency, he's right there. I'm just stunned by that. I have trouble keeping two pages of notes in the right place. How does God do that? It's absolutely astounding.

In verse 20, we're taught that God is just. He's a God of justice. He is just. He preserves those who love him, and he will destroy the wicked forever. He's not a namby-pamby God. He doesn't compromise. It's his way, or we're just going to let you not exist anymore, because that's the best blessing God will do for those people at that time. That's mercy, and that's compassion. Psalm 145 gives us multiple reasons why we, in time, all humanity, will come to bless God and his name. Thirdly, David offers us a specific direction here. We mention this. He offers us that specific direction in how we can bless God. How we can actually bless God is really not difficult to do. We may well be doing it, and we don't know it. But I think it's best if we know what we're doing. Then we can make sure we're doing it right, or that we keep doing more of it. In verses 4-7, we looked at those verbs. Again, that's David's list in the ways that we need to speak well of God. We need to speak positively of God, have the right attitude towards God, and use what he shares with us appropriately, not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others. In those verses 4-7, David's exhorting us to tell others about God. That's how we bless God and His name. We tell others about God, about His works, about His ways, what we read in Scripture. That's one way. David also outlines meditating and studying God's ways and wondrous works. God loves to see us with our noses in the Bible. That's blessing God. When we push aside our interest, our time, and make time for Him, that is blessing God.

Then we're also told in these verses, again, we're to tell others about God, even unto other generations of people.

Of course, David did that, didn't he? Three thousand years later, multiple generations and millions of people have read David's words, where he's telling us about God and what God has done.

Do you suppose any of us may write something someday that will be read in the future? Some of us are already creative, and we've been doing that. That's just one way. Psalm 145 reveals the importance of blessing God in how we think upon Him and on His Word, and how we pass along that knowledge about Him to others. I would include that we need to pass along to others our own personal experiences of God's wonders, we might call it, of God's wonders that He has accomplished in our lives. Have you thought about that? Like David, I don't think we need to be so hesitant or embarrassed, some of you may feel, about talking about what God has done for you in your life. No, I know we don't go out tooting our own horns.

I did that. You'd hear a lot of flat notes. But I will toot my horn if I know God has been doing something incredible in my life.

Maybe that's what we need to think about. We don't need to be hesitant or embarrassed about proclaiming what God has done for us. Have you talked to others about your calling, for example? That mess God called you out of? And aren't we glad He did? Me and you included. How about how we came to be convicted of God's truth? The cost of our commitment? The changes we made in our lives? What did it cost us? You know, our children need to hear that. Our young people, we want them to make the right choice someday. They need to hear from us real-life lessons about what you experience. You may not want to say it too often, they may tone down a little bit. But speak naturally about it from the heart. It's what happened. This is what God did for me. I'm excited to know what God's going to do for your life, Junior.

We could talk about our conviction.

I mentioned that. How about the courage? Conviction, commitment, courage. How tough has it been for you to stick to your faith in God?

That takes courage, doesn't it? A lot of faith. It takes a lot of courage and faith to obey God.

You talk about prayers, answered prayers. All those wonderful prayers that did go unanswered, and you're grateful. We have some of those. Of course, praying to God is one way we bless God in talking to Him. Some of us, I know, are very clear that there have been miracles in your life. God has accomplished absolutely astounding miracles in your lives. All these experiences that we share, that we have, we can be sharing those. I encourage us to talk about those, especially with their families, with their children. Help them to really be excited and interested in God, and to look for ways how God is working with them in their lives. We can share these things with our brethren. When we share the experiences of our life with God as doing with us, you see, that becomes a way of blessing and praising God, and it also becomes a way of edifying one another. When we're going through trials, it's nice to hear that God has intervened and helped somebody else through trial. That kind of boosts our hope. It gives us that confidence we need to keep slugging it out sometimes, because life is like that.

Now, are these the only ways, though, that we can bless God?

Is this the only way to bless God? Just by thinking? Having good thoughts about God? That's good. There's more to it. Is it okay just to talk about God? Are those the only two ways to bless God?

Well, I think you know. Of course not. Those are not the only ways we bless God.

We understand that Scripture tells us that we must be doers of God's Word. We must be doers of God's Word. Doing what God says, then, is another way that we can and should bless God.

In doing so, will help lead others to bless God as well. For example, let's go to Matthew 5, verse 16.

What we do matters to God, especially when it comes to obeying Him. I'm just getting a right example. Matthew 5, 16. As believers of Jesus Christ, our actions are to shine as lights in the spiritual darkness we live in. The spiritual darkness of the world. So, in Matthew 5, 16, Jesus Christ said, To His disciples, let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

There's something important here. We don't do good works to glorify us, to make people think, oh, we're so good. They may say that and we appreciate it, but it's really not supposed to be about us. We're supposed to let our lights shine so they may see our good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Here, Jesus said that people may see your good works. He doesn't promise us that they'll glorify God. But Jesus said that people may glorify God our Father when they see our good works. Well, what does the word glorify mean? What does this word glorify mean? The word translated is glorify is this Greek word pronounced doxadzo, and it's spelled dox-a-z-o. Dox-a-z-o, which strongs G1391. Doxadzo means to praise. We've heard that word before. To extol, to honor, to magnify. It can also mean to make renowned, or to make well-known, or even famous.

What we should recognize here is that the word glorify bears a very similar meaning to the word bless. It bears a very similar meaning to the word bless. Bless. In other words, what does this all mean? In other words, our actions, and specifically our good works, may cause people to glorify God our Father. It may cause them to praise and bless God.

So can any old good works work? Do we get to decide for ourselves what good works are? There's a lot of people out there. I hear them all the time talking about the good works they're doing. Am it you? Who defines what good works are? We know the answer. God does. Let's look at John 15. What good works was Jesus referring to? John 15, verse 7 through 10.

Jesus clarifies what good works mean.

And here, He's addressing the disciples. This is during His final Passover. John 15, 7 through 10.

Good works means, in essence, keeping God's Ten Commandments. That's pretty much what it means. We read John 15, 7, Christ said, If you abide in me, in my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified. By this my Father is glorified, is blessed, is praised. That you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. As the Father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.

What does that mean? What does love mean? If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.

So those who truly follow Jesus Christ will not be deciding strictly by themselves, apart from God's law, what good works means. Because God's Word tells us good works are equated with obeying His commandments. And our fruit of obedience to His law will further glorify God. So yes, there is more to blessing God in His name than thinking and speaking only. Our actions of obedience to God's law also bless, as we've learned now, glorify God. And if we'll turn now back to 1 Corinthians 9.

1 Corinthians 9, verse 10 through 15. We find a more specific example of doing good works according to God's law.

1 Corinthians 9, 10 through 15. Here Paul is addressing the Corinthians. The Gentiles, composed primarily of Gentiles, perhaps all Gentiles. Paul is addressing the Corinthians, who have willingly collected and are in the process of donating a very substantial and generous contribution. And it's to be shared with their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. These would be predominantly Jewish, or called from the Jewish faith, Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. They are in great need at that time. And Paul here is commending them for these fruits of righteousness, these good works they've done. 1 Corinthians 9, 10.

While you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God, Paul says. In other words, their act of generosity will cause others to give thanks or to bless and praise God. That's how gifts from people work, oftentimes, or should. Continuing in verse 12. For the administration of this service, what the Corinthians are doing, not only supplies the needs of saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God. It causes people to bless and praise God. Verse 13. While through the proof of this ministry, the service, they glorify God, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God, praise to God, for his indescribable gift, this spirit that is within them from God. This spirit is what worked in the Corinthian brethren to inspire them, and they responded positively to that motivation by sharing of their generosity in this gift to their Jewish brethren.

Many blessed God, in other words, for the actions the Corinthians took in their name. Took in God's name, excuse me. Now, 1 Peter 2, verse 9 through 10. Peter takes up this idea of letting our light shine and of doing good works of righteousness.

Again, this is in the context of how we bless God.

1 Peter 2, 9 through 10. Peter writes, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people, but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. In essence, Peter makes the same point about our actions that David did about our thoughts in speech. It's very similar. Peter's saying our righteous action proclaims the praise of God. It's a way of blessing God.

But we also have to know this. We talked about this earlier. We have to realize that not all of our good works of righteousness are going to be well received by people, are they? Spiritual darkness hates spiritual light, but the spiritual light will never be quenched. It will never be quenched. Let's read on here, same place, on to verses 11 through 12. Beloved, Peter says, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works, which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. At times, we know our good actions are going to be despised and ridiculed by others. Our teens sometimes get picked on, kids at school, because they're trying to do the right thing and people think it's funny. Bowling is, oh, not quite a sport, but it's a popular thing anymore. And so there are times when our good actions, our good efforts and works will be despised, made fun of. In fact, and we're aware of this now, increasingly, our works of obedience to God will even be considered evil by people in society. And we know that. We see that now. Yet, at the same time, Peter reassures us, especially when people are called before God in judgment, that some of those people, some of them may actually come at that time to comprehend what we are all about. They will come to understand why we did what we did, and that's when the light in their eyes will suddenly be received. They'll suddenly get what we're doing and why. Why we were kind of odd. Why we were going against what's popular, for example. And with that new understanding in time, they may well glorify God. They may well then, themselves, bless God.

That helps us to understand why it's so important for us now not to stop doing what is right. It's very critical that we not just give up doing the right thing. And finally, 1 Peter 4.

1 Peter 4.12-14 If persecution comes to us, and we must suffer terribly under it, we can be assured that even then our actions will continue to speak louder than our words. Actions speak louder than words, don't they? And our persistent endurance and trials also blesses and glorifies God. 2 Peter 4.12-14 We read part of this verse 14 earlier, but we'll read again. 2 Peter 4.12 Do not think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened to you. It's going to happen, don't be surprised. 3 Peter 4.13 But rejoice, rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

4 And if you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On that part He is blasphemed, but on your part God is glorified.

Even our suffering for righteousness sake, you see, it's a way we bless God. And glorify God.

And so through these scriptures and examples we see, I hope we all see, that our righteous actions do and will lead people to bless God, and ultimately to glorify Him. Our good works will lead those that have an eye to see, will lead people to find a reason for what we do. And as they start wondering, why is it they don't eat certain things? Why is it do they not mow their grass on Saturday?

Why is it my friend can't come to our real big hoedown of a party on Friday night? I know that's not what teens say nowadays, but that's the best I came up with.

Hoedown? I'm sorry, guys. Well, why don't you come to a party on Friday night? They're going to wonder what's so odd about that. And perhaps we pray, just perhaps, they'll wonder enough about it that they'll start thinking about it, they'll start asking questions about it, and they'll start giving you an opportunity to talk about God. It'll give you and me and all of us an opportunity to share what we have learned from Scripture, share what we know about God, naturally without sounding pompous or self-righteous or anything like that, but just to humbly, naturally tell them what it means to live. We don't live differently, we just are. We are. We are trying to live God's way of life with God in us, the Spirit in us, and the Spirit with us if we're not yet baptized.

So what we do will cause others to think and talk about God. And then that all takes us right back to what we were learning from David's psalm, his psalm of praise and thanksgiving. Our thoughts, our words, and our actions, they go together and they bless God. Our faithful obedience to God in short of being His commandments will cause some to praise God, but others to curse us without cause. But ultimately, all will come to recognize God, and many will come to see God working with us and in us to His glory, to the praise of God. So, brethren, we have a most loving Heavenly Father, don't we?

And He abundantly blesses us. Maybe I've inspired some of you to already start making a list of just how it is God has blessed you. A really good time to do that is on those days that you feel like everything is just really rotten. You know, you tripped over the dog, you got a flat tire, and now the bank says you're overdrawn. And that's a good time to stop, I think. I really recommend that you stop and start counting your blessings. Start counting your blessings because God is blessing you even then, even in sorrow and when terrible times happen. So I hope that's been a good reminder for all of us today. And I hope this message will encourage us to do just that then. Count our blessings, and yet, perhaps more importantly, I would leave you with this. Perhaps more importantly than counting our blessings, we should focus on how much we can and should bless God. How much we can and should bless God, both Father and Son, in our thought, in our speech, in interaction. For all their immeasurable love and mercy to us all.