Romans 15:11 – “Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye
people.”
The Apostle Paul here takes a psalm of David, which was
written for the nation of Israel ,
“O praise the Lord, all ye nations;
praise him all ye people (Ps 117:1),” and directs it specifically to the
gentiles. He is expressing his love for
the Jews and at the same time reaffirming his call as the apostle to the
gentiles. In verse 16, he says, “That I should be the minister of Christ to
the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the
Gentiles might be acceptable being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.” He is instructing the gentiles to offer up
praise to God for His goodness. We can
never praise Him enough.
The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who
defeated Napoleon at Waterloo ,
was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to
shower his subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realized that his methods left
something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if
anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a
moment, then replied. "I'd give more praise," he said. This is exactly what we need to do in our
lives – give more praise to our Lord.
Time and time again Paul tells us as gentile dogs that we
owe God a goodly amount of praise. In
Romans 11:17, he tells us, “Thou being a
wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them . . .” Yes we, who were so undeserving of God’s grace
have gained a special place in the mind of the Almighty. What place, you say? We gentiles make up the Church – the Bride of
Christ. We are nothings in the grand
scheme of things and God loves us and gave Himself for us. So whatever happens in you life, gentile
dogs, praise the Lord for His great goodness.
All
God’s Children
All God’s children sing aloud
To praise the King of Kings.
They lift their voices high and proud,
As if on eagle’s wings.
In days of wandering, they extolled
The mighty acts of God –
Divine deliverance, battles bold,
As wilderness they trod.
In David’s day ‘twas psalm and hymn
That praised Messiah dear.
In Bab’lon they wept ‘neath willow limb –
No glad song did they hear.
If one would worship God above
In spirit and in truth,
Then worship Him in songs of love
And with the zeal of youth.
For one day Heaven’s streets we’ll crowd,
With woodwinds, brass and strings,
As all God’s children sing aloud
To praise the King of Kings.
© 2006 Paul Stultz
"Lord, Thank you for your goodness to us. Thank you for the many blessings you send our way each day. And Lord, teach to praise you more - we can never offer you enough praise. Amen."
