Psalm 69:30-31 ‘‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

DAILY READING:   Matthew 24:32-51; Numbers 28-29; Song of Solomon 8:5-14 

Twice in the scriptures God says that in King David he had found ‘a man after my own heart.’. (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). And a reflection of king David’s heart for God is recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:3, which states that he extravagantly prepared materials, over and above, intent on building a magnificent temple for God. And as a result of the abundant  provision David made available, the Temple his son King Solomon built is today, considered the most expensive building in human history!  Its total cost is well over half a billion dollars!  This is an unimaginable cost for one house, but that’s what the value comes to when you include  a total of over 108,002.5 talents of gold, 1,017,000 talents of silver, and greater quantities of bronze. This cost of course may appear crazy to people in modern times; But its extravagance, perhaps also reflects David’s extravagant love for God.

David loved God deeply and ended up a trans-generational celebrity, immortalized by God in history.  David is arguably the most celebrated individual in Israelite history, even in modern times.  No wonder the Jewish badge is the Shield of David. His shield is also the centerpiece of Israel’s flag, and his tomb is a place of pilgrimage, Jerusalem is the City of David, and the city’s best hotel is named after him and stands in King David Street.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says ‘It is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him’.  

Those that truly love God become celebrated on the earth. Every certified lover of God ends up as a living wonder. God is a God of love.  And He wants love to be the real motivation in our relationship and our service to Him.

1 Corinthians 13 makes it clear that whatsoever we do outside of love in service to God, it will profit us nothing. God wants us to serve Him  out of the overflow of the love for Him already in our heart. When we love God our aim will be to please Him always. And one key way we please God is through Thanksgiving and praise. David was also a man who greatly praised God. And in Psalm 69:30-31 he says ‘‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.’

Let us learn to love God totally and also give expression to that love through continual praise.  And as the year rounds up, we need to deliberately sit down and count our blessings and praise God for all His goodness. No matter what you may have passed through this year, God is the only reason why you survived and still continue to survive. Indeed it is of The lord’s mercies that you were not consumed. And as long as long as you are joined to the living there is still hope for you. So on this last day of November, let us look back to the days gone by and deliberately bless God for all His goodness and mercies. Indeed God is good and worthy of our extravagant love and praise. 

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to love You totally, please birth afresh in my heart a deep and abiding love for You. And also grant me the grace to give expression to that love through the continual flow of Your praise from my lips in Jesus Name. 

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Praise always guarantees you power for a raise, learning to praise God in season and out of season is key to fulfilling destiny. – WORDBITE 222.