Psalm 81:1-16

There are a few basic principles that the Lord expects of His people.  These are responsibilities that we are expected to fulfill if we are going to please the Lord with our lives.  Our walk with God is not a complicated one; it simply comes down to worship and obedience.  We were created to worship the Lord with our lives and we have been instructed to obey the commandments of Scripture.  Failure to do this is simply stubbornness and sinfulness.  There are great rewards and satisfaction associated with living our lives in worship and obedience.

PRAISE THE WORKS OF THE LORD: The Lord had taken Israel from slavery in Egypt and set them free to prosper in a rich land that they were given by God.  They had been set free by God who had heard and answered their prayers and pleas for help.  Now it was their responsibility and joy to be able to lift their voices and play their instruments in songs of praise to the Lord.  God delights in the praise of His people.  Out tendency is to be much more persistent in praying for blessings and deliverance from the Lord then we are about praising Him when He answers those prayers.  God’s name should always be on our lips and His glory should always be evidenced in the way that we speak and sing about Him.


PRACTICE THE WORD OF THE LORD: God has revealed how He expects His children to live through His Word.  It is God’s expectation that we know His Word and dedicate ourselves to practicing His Word.  We must listen carefully to God’s Word and then follow what it says.  God is jealous of our worship and prohibits placing any other god as the focus of our worship.  He demands exclusive worship from us.  When we fail to listen to the Word of God we are left to our own devices and end up being victims of our own hearts.  God promises that He will bless those who obey Him.  He will deliver from our enemies and provide all that we need.  The rewards of obedience are great so we must dedicate ourselves to hearing and heeding the Word of God.

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