"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)
I've been doing quite a bit of navel gazing lately. So this is a good reminder.
While praising God and worshiping God is about God and not about us, about remembering God's goodness and His acts, a byproduct is that when we focus on Him, we focus less on ourselves. The less self-centered we can become--the more focused on God and on others, the more joy we experience. Joy isn't happiness. Happiness is fleeting. Joy is that sense of being in sync with God and His will for me.
Joy is the default mode in which God created all human beings to live. We were made to live for God and His glory, not because God is an egomaniac Who needs us, but because God is our lifeline and we need Him.
Sin though, the state of self-absorption and self-will into which we're all born, robs us of joy. But the more we consciously surrender to the God we know in Christ, the more we turn to Him for forgiveness, new life, and direction, the more joy we can experience, irrespective of the circumstances of our lives.
Praise lifted to God in our hearts when we're by ourselves and when we're in the company of other believers is the antidote for much of what ails us.
I only wish I remembered that more. Praying that God will keep reminding me.
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