More Blessed, More Blessed to Praise than to be Praised [Part 1]

That was some I had given me this practical primer on how to receive a complement to receive a complement you and I say, you know that I want to give you this, and if you look at me and I say thank you I received out I will be encouraged by that strengthens the Helen Wright welcome to searing the look I'm being a brick and we are all set to hear Allen's message from renewal to church and in Salem, North Carolina in a series called Moore if you're not able to stay with their program.

I want to make sure you know how to get our special available to you right now for your gift searing the light. This is you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special contact us that sharing the light.or or by phone at 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but right now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan.

Are you ready for some good news last to pray is that it is to be pray and the reason that is such good good news is you can control how much you're going to be praised, but you sure can choose to praise God I got one verse for you today. It's in Philippians chapter 4 as part of our series recon more blast because were looking at all the different facets of what it means when Jesus says it's more blessed to give than to receive in the day to focus on is one verse. Philippians 4 verse four rejoice in the Lord always again I will say, rejoice, rejoice in the Lord always again I will say, rejoice. Joy prom was Friday night if you're not familiar with joy prom.

It is a full-scale prom or special needs individuals. Anybody with physical, intellectual, developmental, different abilities, you could put it that way are invited and this year's joy prom. I think had over 300 such guests. I believe around that number this joy. Prom was assigned started up a small group here and a couple here who suggested and it is grown so quickly in recent years, it is just a spectacular thing here. You can that you can only imagine that as you never seen it before all these people, and they are treated to a glorious night, real prom, and there is a glitz and glamour room. You can. The girls can get dolled up and get jewelry to wear and that their TAB and TR is in their thing about put one on myself.

This TR I gentlemen to get their shoes shined. The dining room. Everything just beautifully decorated.

According to the theme of beauty and the beast and I was just just wonderful. There's crafts to be gone and good food and dancing, and every every one of the guest is given a host or hostess that will accompany that gas throughout the evening is just is just great. I wish I could say that I do something to help with that. I'm just I haven't I haven't but I just I just like the clap and cheer, good clapper and cheer and so I pull out my dust off my tuxedo out of the closet. That thing I don't know how does it just shrink by just just hanging in the closet in his shrinking thoughts. I don't understand that I put on the two smaller tuxedo and what I want to find my way to try to do is get there and get up close to the red carpet entrance will happen is MCL take a microphone in each gaskets a very special introduction and then the people all around start clapping and cheering.

While they are escorted down that red carpet with cheers and it's it's it's a it's a glorious a glorious moment and I just like to stand there in my tuxedo and just clap and cheer and written rejoice in their moment of glory.

It causes you so much joy to rejoice in someone else's glory will talk to you about today, it's more blast of praise than it is to be praised is part of what Jesus means nothing is more blessed to give than it is to receive what's interesting about Paul's words in Philippians 44 is that you remember he was in jail when he wrote this epistle. He really didn't know was that I happen if IT was honest about this in another section. The epistle he said to the Philippian church. He said III would like to send Timothy to you as a spiritual son exhibit. I just can't right now is that I need him too much is I cannot can't sentimental if I was gonna happen to me if he didn't know whether he was going to maybe be set free because he was a Roman citizen or maybes will be executed and he really didn't know the Pulitzer things that I base that on the from a liberal Hyundai he was in prison and the word joy is mentioned 16 times in that little epistle that he wrote flippant he was. He was incarcerated when he said, rejoice in the Lord always and again he didn't say I will rejoice and you can rejoice with me, upon my release, or if my sentences reduced, or if I find favor in trial is talking about something much deeper than that. But there's an opportunity for rejoicing. No matter what circumstances that you're in. I just want to talk to you plainly about this one principle that is more blessed to praise.

That is to be praise. I want talk to you first about what it doesn't mean then wanted to show you from the natural things of this world the way were designed so that maybe it makes sense to you why it is that will never really be fully blessed and fulfilled.

Until we discover this life of praise to show you how the Scriptures are just spilling over with the exhortation and what it means. Rejoice in the Lord what what what is our cause for rejoicing out that this misperception wanted just this one verse. Rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice. What, let's first just talk about what what this doesn't mean it doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you receiving praise or affirmation it it's it's it's something we need from the time that we are born before we are born we need blessing and affirmation of praise on. Be very clear about that. In fact, we need large receive that we need to build take in real encouragement and about you. I we always teach our parents.

Bless your kids blossom before they're born. Blessing Winterbourne blessed every day of their lives affirming identity to them because it's shaping who that child is we don't want them to have a vacuum in which they are feeling that there's something that's not worthwhile about their lives want to have an identity and and within so it sort blessed. It was so cute all our little nephew Wesley who is now he could. He can stand, walk, and he's got a few words he can say that was real cute. You know stage where where it is just everything is just he is becoming alive to him well on Easter afternoon. We had a big party at our house and my wife is crazy over Easter. You think it's Christmas day and every cousin all the nieces and nephew hereby got a big huge basket and is full of toys and everything. What Wesley had in his big basket for one he had was a toys cell phone you so you gotta get toddlers toys, cell phones, or else there just don't want your cell phone and fight they still want your cell phone but he got a toy cell phone with buttons that made noise and stuff like that and so I took to sell the little toy cell phone and I wanted Wesley to see just how good of a phone. It was so I put up to my ear like I was talking to somebody and Wesley Camara got about a foot and 1/2 away from my face.

I sit on the floor, beanbag chair hears Wesley his face better. About a foot and 1/2 away from my just like this and I am over here talking on this toy phone and I said yes hello yes yes Wesley is right here. I he is wonderful. You want me to tell about that. Yes I see it. He is great. You are right you know, I agree with you but Wesley is a very special yes. Absent some talking like this Wesley Laurier and he's this candidate is intolerant birds. Birds didn't have good balance wrote as a toddler there and more I talk.

He's got his arms and his wife is like this is waving his arms waving a white wave, and the more I said yes is Mark it is getting more and more animate morning to contact know it is like sometime when you're blessed little child is like just pump it up a bicycle.you know, at some point will pop you just can't contain all that is. I just kept up Wesley. Yes, he is out I will I will tell yes I will tell him okay okay I'll already buy back and answered early.

Wesley said I said you great and he's went to the children, bless our kids right. I'm not talking about. Oh it's a bad thing to praise somebody or bless somebody know we need that okay and if an and it's it's very is very important. How silly it would be to think that we don't need it. If you image came to mind. How ridiculous it would be to to think that you've got the home-court advantage in the people are cheering that yard are quite good.

I can imagine that it is like when you go basketball game and you got home-court advantage of the fans are just cheering there just going crazy here. Also, the owner just rejoicing in their team there.

I got it just disallowed in that place and it just gives you big event right to the home team coach grabbed the microphone at St. Oliphant. Did you tone it down. Please. I'm afraid all this cheering is going to go to my kids heads and I just don't want them getting prideful feelings right now. So if you just tone it down. Besides is a little disrespectful to the other team. So let's just don't do all this cheering anymore, but that's ridiculous right never do that in a million years, because you want it right you are listening to sharing the light will have more teaching in a moment from today's important series stress is stressing out his action on the stresses of life will always bring a stressful season very busy seasons to seasons and spiritual and we all know that life can destroy possible power of the gospel to be stressed stressful times.

Trust in the ground during stressful times is no better place to turn the sobs for every season during stressful times for every season. Stressful seasons come and go in the grace of God to stand strong today and stressful times when you give today. We will send you today's special offer and were happy to send this to you is our things from sharing the life ministries call us at 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 or come to our website sharing the light.org you're listening to sharing the light. These teaching now continue you once again is Alan Wright what is encouragement to encourage a man. It is, it puts courage in. That's what encouragement puts courage and encouragement earlier. My Christian life I thought oh it's more spiritual if I just, reject encouragement, no Christians like this without in order to look humble somehow come and say, you know, that was really it was wonderful way you sing that song window is you hang your head. Don't look at him and say well it's just Jesus you know and that it just sounds sounds like you're more humbling or more spiritual benefactor the matter I'm just want us to establish the front you need encouragement. We all need encouragement. I need courage you need encouragement and encourage one another.

Bless one another and I wish someone had given me this practical primer on how to receive a complement long ago because I didn't know how to receive unlimited how to receive a compliment, so I got up to you and they say you know that that that I want to give you this, when they give you authentic timeout buttering your puffin you up, stuff about real complement and is what you did.

You look him in the eye and say thank you. I receive that I will be encouraged by that that strengthens the encourage meeting on in the journey. Thank you very much. That's how you receive point and let it become part of the B part of the makeup of so we need encouragement and in the fact of the matter is that if we don't get it.

Then what happens is that our lives where we have not been from our earliest time affirmed in the deepest way and we have not received the blessing that we needed to receive from those that were closest to us, then it leaves a sort of hole and a deficit that is there and honestly and tool you know the affections of God to you know his love you not known perfect love and until you really can know that there's still a part of you that would be not just receiving encouragement is something is edifying to you, but needing the praise of people in order to feel all right about your life and and yet it in the end, that sort of emptiness is frail. The praise of others is fleeting and un-reliable. I was thinking this week Michael Phelps, who is the greatest swimmer of all time. In fact, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time. 28 metals and 23 of them gold metals. Let that sink in 23 times they have hung a gold medal around his neck while the whole world was cheering. He has the most gold medals in any particular Olympic competition.

Eight and the 2008 games in Beijing after he won five more gold medals in the 2016 Olympics in London. It meant that he was the most successful athlete in the Olympic Games for the fourth Olympics in a row. Most all of his life.

In other words, somebody's cheering for him. Somebody's praising and celebrating. But after the 2012 Olympics, he announced his retirement retirement that eventually he came back from but after he announced that retirement and there were no more swim meets and no more metals being hung around his neck. It didn't go well for if I could begin to sink down. He was arrested in 2014 for a DUI in his hometown of Baltimore and it was a hard hard time in his life that later. He spoke about candidly in an interview with an ESPN reporter. He said quote that he struggled to figure out who I was outside the pool and in his words. He said quote I was a train wreck. I was like a time bomb waiting to go off. I had no self-esteem, no self-worth. There were times where I didn't want to be here is not good for lost while most gold medals of anybody in history. The family had no self-worth and utterly lost. Like many struggling with those types of feelings he began to self Medicaid and in the aftermath of that DUI arrest, he cut himself off from family and friends in one point he locked himself in his room for four days and 49 and he said in the interview. I thought the world would just be better off without me. I figured that was the best thing to do.

Just in my life. Let that sink in. Please. There has not been an athlete more celebrated praised and adored on this planet. No one ever had that many metals around his neck most decorated and praised Olympic athlete in history net worth over $50 million everywhere you went people admired him and when the metal stopped. He thought about ending his life. You can have the praise of the whole world and feel suicidal. Thankfully for Phelps, a friend, big brother, All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis came to him and challenged him stuck with him got him into a rehab program and he gave them a book that was Rick Warren's the purpose driven life, and it changed Phelps life within a few days. Phelps called Lewis and this is what he said man. This book is crazy.

The thing that's going on. Oh my gosh my brain. I can't thank you enough, man. You saved my life, and Phelps told ESPN reporter that Rick Warren's book turned me into believing there's a power greater than myself and there's a purpose for me on this planet. He found something to praise outside of himself.

We will not have true peace, joy, or fulfillment until we discover what it is to praise beyond ourselves were made for that you could run from this, you could think that the answer to your life is to just get the praise the praise the praise from other people. But what I'm telling you is that your design to praise God. Everything about this or just a tremendous joy that comes in rejoicing and someone else's greatness of interest in the way I live right in today's teaching more blessed to praise, then to be free states in our series, more blessed, and Pastor Alan will bless us with his presence here in just a moment cheering aborting good news thought for the day.

Stick with us and stressed out his option on the stresses of life will always bring stressful seasons busy seasons difficult spiritual and life can discuss phone power of the gospel to be stressed stressful times. Trust in the morning during stressful times no matter place to turn to Psalms some for recent during stressful times for preseason seasons coming down to stand strong and stressful times when you give today.

We will send you today's special offer and were happy to send this to you is our thanks for sharing the life ministries call us at 877-544-4860 at 877-544-4860 or come to our website sharing the light.org back in the studio. Pastor Alan sitting here in our parting good news thought for the day more blessed to praise them to be praised as today's teaching him what I think that's her issues.

I have done. We get it backwards, with a get out because it was so much of the of the world. The social media and all is like yeah it's all about getting the praise of other people. If we really think about it and you we are far happier extolling the wonders of God than at any other time in our life. We are designed to give praise and if you're honest with the listener you think about your life. Don't you love it when there's something awesome that you can rejoice in whether it's your sports fan and you see an incredible sports feet or you stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon or you just look at a simple, beautiful flower bursting forth this spring. Just a delight in it. That's a wow what that why we that way is because we are made to praise God is more blessed to praise tenant is to receive the praise of homework are always encouraged to hear from you whether you visit online sharing the light.org or call 877 light 60 again cheering the light.O RG or call 8770 IG HT 60 get Allen writes daily sharing the light devotional in your inbox each morning when you sign up sharing the light.org. This is been sharing the light with Helen right listener supported production of sharing the likeness