Psalm 113Christianity has its challenges. This places demands on us that set us apart from the rest of the world. The Bible describes us as a special people, who take on the challenge of living IN the world, without being OF the world. When we say “no” to temptations that benefit the masses, we are labeled as self-righteous snobs, religious weirdos, or worse. But we persevere and move toward that invisible line that the Apostle Paul drew in the sands of time…for the high calling in Christ Jesus. We have all met someone in our lives – a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor. , or an acquaintance – who asked us WHY? Why do we pour all of our talents, all of our gifts, and all of our service into the church? They make a carnal argument that we cannot see Jesus, we cannot hear Jesus, and we cannot receive anything from Jesus. So why do we serve Jesus? And of course we make the counterargument that we do indeed see Him with our spiritual eye; we actually hear his voice, not with our ears, but with our hearts, and we actually receive the daily gift of his guidance as Deliverer. But many don't care and simply turn away. That’s what you get when you’re in mixed company – the saved and the unsaved. But today there are only us, the saints of God. And if you're like me, after being rejected all week, you need a recharge of your spiritual battery. So let’s recharge our spirits by connecting to one of my favorite sources of energy from Scripture…Psalm 113. Psalm 113 reads like a 1st century pep talk for those suffering from spiritual exhaustion. The author makes the case for the Lord by pointing out the many ways in which God deserves our praise. These nine verses of Scripture are saturated with three specific reasons to praise the Lord – He is Known...... middle of paper ......ie by His Spirit. Furthermore, we are now saved through His salvation, adopted into His family, and sheltered in His arms. The Lord is Supreme… He is the One, True and Living God. The Lord is our Benefactor… He makes us lie down in green pastures. The Lord is our Creator…He has formed us in His image. The reason for our praise is to believe in Christ. The rest of our praise is to trust in Christ. The wisdom of our praise is to learn from Christ. The joy of our praise is in obeying Christ. The satisfaction of our praise is submitting to Christ. And the hope of our praise is to seek Christ. Christ, the jewel of God's creation. We are soothed by his peace, strengthened by his power, encouraged by his promises, refreshed by his glory, assured by his voice, and sustained by his touch. I have a reason to praise the Lord!