When Praise is Forgotten

I think something I forget too often is Praise.

Take a moment and really think about what it means to praise.

Praise means to express one's respect and or gratitude. Think about this: how often do you turn around and thank God for his gifts? I don't know about you, but my answer would be a cringe-worthy "I forget". One of the devotional books I'm reading talked about this. It simply reminded its reader to remember. If you are a forgetful person like me- this seems kind of like a death sentence. My initial thoughts were "I can't even remember to do my laundry every week- how am I going to remember to thank God- to truly take the time and actually praise him?" but then this sad realization came to me:

Is God really that unimportant in my life that I forget about him?

When did I let that happen?

Do you ever feel like you know all the right things to do- but you never get to the actual doing?
It frustrates me that I can be in such slavery to sin, and yet be so forgiven! I don't understand why God continues to shower me with his love when I keep forgetting! The key is there can be no fine line, no balance.

I can be whole-heartedly for God, or lukewarm and stagnant in my faith.

I don't want to have God be a 'forget' kind of thing in my life. I want him to be a 'can't let go' part!
But to do that I have to change my attitude from assuming I deserve the gifts I've been given to an attitude of humble, grateful awe that God would choose me to love. At this point, if I were reading this I would assume the writer would now end the post. But that would be a depressing ending, there is no way I'm going to make that happen! I can't force myself to praise- it wouldn't be praise! I have to come to the understanding that there is nothing I am doing that brings me God's love. He is the one that can and will do it. I need to just be willing to ask for help. Right now I'm asking that He would give me a heart full of wanting to praise him, because if God gives me the desire, it will truly be praise that glorifies him.

A line in one of the songs we sang this morning talked about how God is drawing close to him the cynic and the proud.

That means me. I praise him that he wants me. What love he has that he would pour out gifts to people who forget him. He wants the prideful, selfish, haughty, jealous, angry, sad, scared, stressed-out person,. Not because they can do anything for Him, but because He LOVES them. He wants you, turn around and let him pursue you!

Praying for us all this week!
~Avery