Purified Praise

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: I Peter 1:7-8 (KJV)

We go through fiery trials that test us and to how what is in us by what comes out of us. God wants to see praise flowing from our hearts, and the more the heat is turned up, the louder our praise should be. In the midst of what we go through, pure praise should come forth, giving honor and glory to Jesus. We are to praise even though we don’t see Jesus because we praise by faith. Our belief in Him causes us to rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and glorious. No words can truly express our joy in the Lord, so we release it with worship.

As we go through the fire, we are being purified. The purer we become, the purer our praise will be. It will be praise from a pure heart to a pure Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, our praise, faith, and love expressed in the midst of fiery trials prepare us for the future coming of the Lord.

The closer we get to His return, the rapture of the church, the more our praise should flow forth as we anticipate seeing Him. As His appearing comes ever closer, His presence draws praise out of us like a magnet. The closer we get to Jesus, the more praise He draws out of our hearts.

So, be like a tea kettle- the more the heat is turned up, the more praise comes forth. Let purified praise come out of you like the song out of a tea kettle, like a sweet vapor rising to the Lord. Our praise draws Jesus closer to us and us to Him. And one day, Jesus will appear and will rapture us to heaven to praise Him face to face!