Excerpt from Reflection of the Psalms by C.S. Lewis: The most obvious fact about praise — whether of God or any thing — strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless . . . shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise — lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game — praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least.… I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value. *I THINK WE DELIGHT TO PRAISE WHAT WE ENJOY BECAUSE THE PRAISE NOT MERELY EXPRESSES BUT COMPLETES THE ENJOYMENT; IT IS ITS APPOINTED CONSUMMATION. ****IT IS NOT OUT OF COMPLIMENT THAT LOVERS KEEP ON TELLING ONE ANOTHER HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE; THE DELIGHT IS INCOMPLETE TILL IT IS EXPRESSED.**** BOOM... mind blown... Our joy is complete when we give Him praise... Imagine having the best burrito youve ever had at a place nobody knows about... the carne asada is perfectly seasoned and cooked... the salsa has the right amount of kick and flavor... the tortilla is slightly crisp, cradling its delicious contents in a marvelous way... and it has perfectly ripe avocado placed evenly throughout each bite.. there is nothing about this uber burrito that you would change... and it changed your life... all burritos will be judged by this milestone burrito for the rest of your life... How would you react? Would you keep it to yourself? Would it make you happy just to take part in this epic burrito alone? No! Like every great burrito youve had in the past, you just cant wait to share the good news! Hey guys! I had the most incredible burrito last night! Listen, it was perfect! It was sooooo good I almost cried! We would tell anyone who had ears about the greatness of this burrito... We would be so eager to take people to that unknown burrito place to take part in it together. Im down to go! would be your response (even if you just had it for lunch), excited for your peers to take a bite of its goodness... And the joy that wells up in your heart when they take their first bite, they look up with a expression of satisfaction... Oh how sweet it is to hear them say, You were right... this IS the best burrito Ive ever had... ever. How much more delicious the burrito when enjoyed with a friend with the same conviction... WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE RESPONDED LIKE THIS FOR GOD? Enjoy the Lord guys... to the fullest! We can only find true joy in praising and worshiping Him fervently... and God is most glorified through us who are completely satisfied in Him. I end with this song... All my delight is in you Lord, all of my hope, all of my strength. All my delight is in you Lord, forevermore. DELIGHT IN HIM! https://youtube/watch?v=Xbn5NduL0sE
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:03:01 +0000
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