Thoughts for the Day

Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the broken-hearted,
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry...

Praise the Lord!

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Have you sung the words "Praise and thanksgiving, Father we offer", to the tune normally put to "Morning has broken"? (If not I have put it below!) And if you have, what on earth is the difference between praise and thanks. Well there is a very simple way to remember:

• Thanksgiving is based on US!
• Praise is based on GOD!

We thank God for all He does for us - for loving us, for calling us to be His children, and for sending His Son to save us. We praise God for His attributes and His character. We might say we thank a friend for a present given to us, but we praise them for their kindness.

Having thought of a simple way of remembering this, I hope I don't do what my mother once did. She tried to remember the name of my Headmaster. He was from Scotland and she thought if she could remember his name by another simple word that would help. The conclusion was she couldn't remember if his name was Mr Sporran or Mr Busby!

Today we praise God for His love, His generosity, His kindness, His creativity ..... (add more as desired). And we thank God for ..... (add personal thanks as desired).

Heavenly Father,
creator of the Universe
and ruler of time and space,
we praise You for
Your creativity,
and we thank you
for Your generosity;
Your patience;
Your persistence,
and Your love for us.
Amen.