Today's Passage - Hebrews 13:15-16

Hebrews 13:15-16   Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. We need to constantly bear fruit in our lives. When we mention fruit, there is the fruit of life which are the 9 fruits of he Holy Spirit; The fruit of work, which is leading people to Christ. However, there are two other fruits that people often forget:   First is the fruit of the lips, which is the sacrifice of praise. God wants us to praise Him with ourlips. I often remind brothers and sisters to praise God every morning when they get out of bed. Otherwise, when they wake up in the morning and are dreading to go to work, they are already defeated by the enemy even before they start the day. When we wake up in the moring, we need to declare, "Praise the Lord for a brand new day. A new day with new blessings and new mercies!" If our lips are devoid of praise, we will be filled with complaining. Just as James said, praise and cursing cannot come out of the same mouth. Both fresh water and salt water cannot flow from the same spring. In the same way, we can choose the words we speak. If we choose to speak praise, we cannot curse. May the Lord remind us to offer the sacrifice of praise with our lips each day. When we praise, we cannot curse, and cannot attack other brothers and sisters.    Secondly, the fruit of good deeds are what God delights in. Many Christians are caught up in spiritual things and neglect helping others in practical ways. We often talk about loving others and praying for others. Yet we do not bring about practical help to others. May God help us to see our faith as not only spiritual, but also something that is lived out in action. When you love God in your heart, you will share this love with people around you. You will do good deeds and will give generously with a cheerful heart.   Are there people in need in your life? May God give us a loving heart and open our spirit and our mouths to praise Him each day. God's power will be manifested in our praise.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we praise you because you are the almighty God and you supply all of our needs. May God open our hearts to see the needs of people around us and give us courage to do good deeds and be generous to others so that your name may be glorified. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!       Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!