Music 3             August 21, 2009

               By Doug Davis

PSALM 33:1 Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.

Remember last week, I said that the word becoming, makes me think of, "that looks good on you?"

Praise is becoming to the upright.

Praise looks good on the honest and righteous.

I don't quite understand it, but I know, back when Pam was doing the Artistry make-up clinics, they had this thing where they looked at the shade of your skin, and said you were a winter, spring, summer or fall.

I thought that was the princess on Howdy Doody, but what do I know?

I think I'm a winter, which makes no sense to me, because I love warm weather.

Anyway, they could pick the color of your clothes, and your make-up, or whatever, and know what would look best on you.

Did you know that praising the Lord looks good on us?

Singing does too.

That's the kind of thing we should be clothing ourselves with.

We can clothe ourselves with more than cloth, did you realize that?

PSA 73:6 Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them.

and violence is their clothing.

Not particularly a good thing, I wouldn't think.

I've known people who you could tell their attitude, and look on life, by the tone in their voice.

Always angry, and sarcastic.

That's what this passage means.

MATTHEW 6:22 "The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

23 "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

This is talking about our outlook on life, our attitudes, and perspective.

A thief thinks that everybody is going to steal from them.

A liar thinks that everyone is lying to them.

A cheater thinks that everyone is out to cheat them.

A trustworthy person, thinks that everyone is going to be trustworthy.

A loving person, has a hard time understanding how another person can be filled with hate.

Being an honest person myself, I can be taken advantage of, and even ripped off, because I just can't bring myself to expect a person to be dishonest.

I can't understand how they can be that way.

So, every morning, when we wake up, we make a decision what we are going to wear.

In the same way, we make a decision on what attitude we are going to clothe ourselves with as well.

Some people take a lot of time deciding what they are going to wear, while others, just put on whatever is at hand.

Our clothing makes a difference in how we feel, and think about ourselves.

You can tell a lot by the way a person dresses.

I learned a long time ago, when going into parent teacher conferences, that if I dressed nicer than the teacher, they would show a lot more respect toward me, and listen to me more.

I do feel better about myself, when I'm wearing nicer clothing.

On the other hand, I feel a lot more comfortable with myself, and others, when wearing jeans.

I know for ladies, that moods, and how they feel at the moment, makes a big difference in what they put on, jewelry, shoes, and everything.

Men laugh, because the lady says, "I don't have anything to wear," and the closet is filled with clothing, but at that moment, she really doesn't have anything to wear.

Nothing that matches how she feels, or what she is going to do, or whatever.

So, the same applies to our worship toward the Lord.

Are we going to clothe ourselves in worship, and praise for Him, or in complaining, and negativism?

We make the choice, everyday, all day long.

Another thing the word becoming makes me think of is, attractive.

If someone is becoming, they are attractive.

In our opening verse, it said, " Praise is becoming to the upright."

Praise is attractive to the upright.

Attractive to whom?

Well, to others I'm sure.

A person who naturally praises the Lord in everything they do, will be a lot nicer to be around.

However, what about this?

What if being attractive means being attractive to the Lord?

Now that's something worth working for, isn't it?

When Joseph was brought out of the prison, and taken before the king, they washed and shaved him.

They didn't want him going before the king, smelling, and looking like something the cat just dragged in.

That wouldn't have been right, it wasn't what you did.

That would have been disrespectful to the king, and to his office.

So, how do we approach the thrown of God?

Do we come roaring in off the streets, covered with the dirt, and grime of the world, and come screeching up to the thrown of God, expecting to hop into His lap, and snuggle?

OK, that's fine for a very small child, of course it is, but if we consider ourselves to be mature sons and daughters of God, shouldn't we clothe ourselves in something more appropriate?

I'm not talking about dress codes in the church, and foolish garbage like that.

I'm talking about our attitudes, how we approach our Lord, and Master.

God is more attracted to us, when we choose to clothe ourselves with worship, and praise.

Look at what God wants to do for us, and give us.

ISAIAH 61:3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

The Lord wants to give us The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

Spirit there means attitude.

I'd much rather wear a mantle of praise, than one of fainting.

The King James Translation says spirit of heaviness.

So, let's learn to dress ourselves in a mantle of praise, a garment of worship toward the Lord, and to cast off the filthy rags that the world gives us to wear.

The choice is ours to make.

The devil can't make us be depressed, or complaining, we do that to ourselves.

Read through the Psalms, and you see there were times when even David was depressed, down and out, defeated, and ready to give up.

Yet, no matter how far down he fell, he always, somehow, managed to praise the Lord, right in the middle of whatever was going on in his life, and in his mind.

A very good example for us as well.

The choice is ours to make.

DEUT 30:19  "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,

JOSHUA 24:15  "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Let's pray.