I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I'll bless your name into eternity. I'll bless you every day and keep it up from now to eternity (Psalm 145:1,2).

Many of us think that repetition and memorization are for the birds. We don't want to put the work into memorization and we get bored easily. Yet, God's people have long observed that developing our spiritual selves is significantly aided by both repetition and memorization.

Consider Psalm 145, an acrostic. In its original language, the poem had twenty-two lines; each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This was done to aid in the work of memorizing the song.

I wonder how long it took the composer to put this all together. It was put together to be learned, even memorized. Things we memorize shape our thinking and character. As such, this psalm invites us to seriously contemplate a life given to praising God.

Such a life does not come naturally. There are barriers, the biggest one being ourselves. I suspect that sloth is one of the more significant stumbling blocks. We don't talk much about spiritual sloth these days; we probably should.

We want our spiritual growth to happen like making coffee with a Keurig machine: stick in pod and press button. But the thing is, spiritual growth is more like making coffee from scratch; I mean from scratch: plant the seeds, tend the plants, harvest the beans, roast them, grind them, etc. Spiritual maturity takes time and effort. The move from selfishness to unbridled praise of God does not happen instantaneously or without sustained effort.

As an aid against sloth, let me suggest this: for one month read or sing or pray this Psalm in the morning and again in the evening, each day. Who knows, by the end you might have it memorized. After a month, you may find this beneficial enough to choose a different psalm.

Praising God is more than silent prayers. It impacts how we work and how we entertain ourselves. It influences our spending habits and how we relate with friends and strangers. But do we really think that God is worthy of our praise? The praise of God is rooted in His character. As you read through the Psalm, note what it says about God.

Often, we think that God is only concerned with "His people" or with "saving souls". Here we are reminded that God is concerned for everything that He has made. Is our Christian witness hampered because we don't care enough for "everything" God has made? Is our selfish way of living hindering our witness?

Many of our evangelistic methods begin with calling people to be introspective. We want them to acknowledge their sinfulness. What if we began with God? What if we invited people to consider our God? If God is concerned with His creation, should Christians not care as well? Invitations to join us in caring, can be a way of opening spiritual conversations.

Someone once wrote, "If Christians praised God more, the world would doubt Him less."

(Due to the Holy Weekend of Good Friday and Easter, Wilderness Wanderings will return next Wednesday).

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you (Deuteronomy 16:9-11).

Let's take another look at worship services in ancient Israel. When you enter your worship space, what do you hold in your hands? Possibly a leaflet handed to you by an usher. If you are a parent, you might hold you child's squirming hand, so she doesn't run off to visit with a friend.

In contrast, the Israelite worshipper had their hands full of their work. Along with fellow workers and family members, they brought into God's holy presence the fruit of their labour. They had spent months selecting and preparing it. No one came empty handed before God.

Further, it was not the priest, but the worker who initiated and designed worship. The bulk of the worship was not the spiritual insight of the priest, nor the songs composed by unknown artists, but the physical work of the laborer. Worship was not prepared and then consumer by the worshipper but prepared at home and brought along.

Worship was initiated by the laity when the material for worship was ready. If the harvest was late, worship was late. The worker came to stand in the presence of God, therefore, the offering needed to be of such quality the worker felt comfortable with. It was not one size fits all. Each time of year brought unique offerings and the amount depended on income level.

Further, wine, oil and bread—the merging of God's creational gifts and human craftsmanship—were all to be brought into worship. God's creation was developed, molded, transformed, glorified by human labour. While at worship, Israel was reminded that creation is good and that human craftsmanship is good. And combined, they are worthy of being offered to God.

Through these rituals, the farmer was formed not only to approach work as good and valuable but also, more importantly, to offer that work up as worship and praise. The liturgy guided them into an economy of gratitude. In response to God's economic blessing, they gave him thanks and shared with those in need. Worship developed patterns and postures of gratitude, dependence and humility in God's people.

We obviously should not try this at home. But how will we form habits of gratitude? Do we offer up the best of our labours to God in worship? How do we offer our daily living to God? Will you come to worship in thanksgiving for both the physical blessings and the spiritual blessings in Christ? What changes do you need to make so that you come to communal worship not grumbling and not haphazardly but to give thanks? Think about these things this week.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Wherever God takes you today (this week), may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Galatians 6:8-10; Luke 19:32-46. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN!

1. When was it difficult for you to keep doing good? Think of other situations where it takes real effort to keep doing good?
2. What is the Greek word for "good" used in verse 9? What are some of its characteristics? Where else do we find this word used in the New Testament?
3. How does Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey illustrate 'good'? What surprising aspect of goodness does he display on this day?
4. For what good things was Jesus crucified?
5. Where do we find the 'inner resources' to persevere in doing good?
6. Paul uses a different word for good in verse 10. What does it add? Give some examples of doing good.