We Dress For The Occasion

August 11, 2017

We Dress For The Occasion

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;

    celebrate his lovely name with music.

Psalm 135:3

Every day, we dress for the occasion. Whether we are working in the garden, an office, traveling, or going to the grocery store, we dress for the occasion. Our manner of dress says something about how we perceive ourselves, and the others around us. As I write this, I am remembering a bygone era of fifty years ago, when men and women wore their Sunday best, or business attire when traveling by air, or even by the Greyhound bus. This Sunday, before you leave home, take a few minutes and think about how you are dressed. Consider what message your attire sends about where you are going, what you are preparing to do, and who will be with you.

When you arrive at Church, take a few minutes to consider what your demeanor, your conversation, and your actions may communicate to others. If there was a stranger present who was unfamiliar with your community, and your form of worship, what might they conclude from observing you?

All these considerations revolve around the basic question, why do you worship God? Psalm 135 opens with an imperative statement,

“Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord,”

The psalmist then gives instructions on why and how to worship God, and concludes the psalm by repeating verse 1, “Praise the Lord!”

As you read through the psalm, make a list of the characteristics, or attributes of God that are illustrated by the psalmist, such as: good, great, sovereign, defender, just, faithful, eternal, and alive. Next, make a list of characteristics, or attributes of God that you have personally experienced in your life. If you have been seeking the life in Christ as your way of life, I suspect you will include many of the attributes the psalmist extoled, and I know you will sing along with Mary, the mother of our Lord, and proclaim, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! (Luke 1:46-47).

Now, ask yourself, “Are the attributes of God, that I have graciously experienced, reflected in my public worship of God?”

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.