Friday Fight 138: Our Christian Profession of Praise

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF138.

What would our answer be if we were asked about our job or profession? Our response would depend on our numerous obligations that vary according to the time or day of the week. Some of us have duties that begin before work, such as laundry, pet care, or catching up on work before work begins. We may be in the stage of life which resembles an Uber driver chauffeuring others around. Whatever it is as our day unfolds, these demands may leave us only focused on what is right in front of us. So, what is our occupation as Christians, and does it also change throughout the day?

Our Christian Profession of Praise:

Too often, we get caught up in our work, regardless of the time of day. As we routinely maneuver between roles, we may distance ourselves to quiet our minds. It may be our intense focus or attitude that becomes job-oriented. As our days shift, we must be careful to ensure our duties change so we are accepting the needs of those around us.

With this, what is our job as a follower of Christ? Although there are many answers to this question, having a thankful heart is essential at all hours. It is our job to praise; it is our most important profession. It seems so cliché to be grateful and remember to praise God, right? But just as with any other career, our declaration of praise means having postured our frame of mind in a place of continual appreciation.

So how is this done? To have this state of mind means making thankfulness a habit. Psalm 145:2 says, "Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever." In this verse, David proclaims praising God and then further explains how one generation should share the goodness of God with the next. Each new generation learns to develop a grateful heart of praise. An excellent way to start is by having a mindset that recognizes God, who is always good. Once our hearts display continuous honor for our relationship with God, we can list other things we appreciate. If we are not thankful, we are not doing our job to its fullest as Christians. Once we have established a gratitude routine for all God does, these choices lead to a habit.

Making thankfulness a habit may seem silly until we apply this lesson to someone exceptionally talented in singing, basketball, or even lying. People who tend to lie without remorse do so after lots of practice. It is easier to perfect something after first developing a routine; even a chronic complainer has a well-developed habit that begins with perspective.

What if we allowed our job as Christians, making our profession one of constant praise, supersede all others? We would learn to praise God in all situations. Once we establish our morning routines, we can apply our grateful mindset to the close of our day. Eventually, our appreciative hearts will cover a vast horizon from the sun's rising to its setting. As we mature in our faith, our changed attitude allows us to habitually show thankfulness through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Let's not only be people of praise, making it our occupation as Christians, but, as David references later in this chapter, teaching our children and their children about the goodness of God. As we do, we reveal those areas that demand gratitude in our lives by changing our outlook to bring glory to Him. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Photo Credit: Jenna Allshouse

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert