What can you give to God? You can't give a fortune, or build a monument or do some heroic deed- so what can you do for God that no one else can do?
"Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8.
GIVE PRAISE
Some translate this "as" give thanks. There is some difference between thanks and praise but there is so much in common that they are almost the same; both are expressions of worship.
PROCLAIM
To proclaim is to tell, but not in confidence or in a little way; it means to shout it from the rooftops and to make everybody know. It is to go out or go ahead with an open public announcement.
AMONG THE NATIONS
The Old Testament teaches that it was God's plan for His people to be a light to all nations. He wanted them to communicate His truths to the world not just possess those truths. Jesus brought this teaching into focus when he said, "You are the light of the world," (Matthew 5:14).
WHAT HE HAS DONE
We are to tell what he had done for mankind when He sent His Son to become sin on our stead and pay the price for our salvation and freedom from judgment. We are to tell what He has done in our lives and how we were once lost and far from God but He has brought us near through his son. We are to proclaim how we were wretched and broken and rejected but He gave us joy peace and acceptance. When you receive salvation then you have a unique story to proclaim to the nations.
NAME
A name is primary, it is one of the first things we learn about a person, and one of the first questions we ask someone when we meet them. A name is an identity.
We are to make His name known. We proclaim Him not to boast about our lives but to boast about our Christ. When we proclaim the Name of the Lord we are introducing someone to God.
Only you can give God your praise, thanksgiving, and worship; only you can proclaim what he has done for you. This is a universal constant no matter what other things God may have in store for you this is one thing that the Bible is clear about.
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To learn more about finding salvation in Christ visit my other post.
(c) Adron 2/25/15
