"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth." (That means you and me.)

"Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs." (Be Happy - God, our Father, does not want His children to be sad and depressed.)

"Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture." (Our Shepherd leads us to green pastures and quiet water. He will provide for all our needs. I thank my Shepherd for His diligent care.)

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." (Do not be greedy. Do not say thank you and ask for more. Let us be grateful and thank God for His Stewardship, His Blessings, His Forgiving, His Caring and, most importantly, for His Love. Let us thank God every day before we go to sleep and upon rising in the morning.)

"For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." (Amen!)

        Let us take every opportunity to proclaim the greatness of our God.

        Let us be proactive to shout to the world the greatness of our God. Tell the world what He has done for you.

        Let us praise the Lord for our joy and happiness that comes through Him.

        Let us thank God for His grace.

        Let us thank God for forgiving.

        Let us thank God for His everlasting love.

        Let us pray for our brothers and sisters that they may experience the same joy, peace, and life everlasting.

Paul gave this strong testimony of faith from his prison cell in Rome to the church in Ephesus. God's Armor protected him against the devil's schemes. Each day the spiritual forces of evil try to penetrate my armor. I call them temptations and doubts. They create guilt and fear. How can I protect myself in this situation? I call for reinforcement and greater strength. My superior weapon is prayer. Instead of taking a long breath, a five-second prayer changes my battle position dramatically.

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:18)

Let me follow in Paul's spirit:

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the Saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Amen! (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Praise God by saying something good about someone or something. Love your neighbor. I ask you to pray for my guidance and strength to follow the Lord's directions. God bless you.

This subject will not be so easy to cover. When I committed myself to this five part series, I had different ideas on how to relate giving to myself and to you. After searching God's Word for His message, I want to share with you how the Holy Spirit clarified to me what Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians:

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man or woman should give what he or she has decided in his or her heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

In verse 7 are two important words; "reluctantly" and "cheerful". Don't give unless you do it cheerfully. In many places the scriptures discuss being rich or poor. Let me assure you that God will provide for you so that you can use the gift that He has given to you. He will provide plenty to fulfill your function. In today's world we are very proud of what we have accomplished. Don't be fooled. Samson was very confident in his strength. It cost him his eyesight. You may want to read Judges chapter 13 to 16. Let us be appreciative and thankful to God for His grace.

"He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." (2 Corinthians 9:10-12)

Let us read Psalm 112. I have modified the scripture by taking away promises of rewards. As a cheerful giver I do not expect a reward.

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct; rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instructions." (2 Timothy 4:2) This is a big order. Let us see how you and I can accomplish this task.

(1) "The goal ... is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (1 Timothy 1:5)

(2) "... requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone … for all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

(3) "... set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)

(4) "... pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith." (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

(5) "... put hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (1 Timothy 6:17)

These five instructions are simple. You and I can practice them today. I pray for your love to the person next to you, for your leaders, for your strength to set an example, for your faith to put your hope and trust into God. Please pray for my family and me.

This is the final part in our series on worship. We will read from James. James is the brother of Jesus. He believes that if we have real faith, we will show it by acting like Christians.

  "Do not merely listen to the word ... Do what is says." (James 1:22)

  I must remind myself every day and pray that I do act in a Christian way. There is anger and quarreling, showing favoritism, taming the tongue, boasting, patience and prayer. The scripture of James is not very long; plan to read it this week. A few items caught my attention. Let me share with you what could be said on being like a Christian most of the time.

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10) I pray and thank God for His forgiveness. Let me be a Christian in all my actions.

"Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you." (James 4:7-8)

"My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring you back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his or her way, will save him or her from death and cover over a multitude of sins." (James 5:19-20)