NOV. 27, 2025

Be sure to praise the Lord.

"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful." Ps 33:1 NKJV

Of 150 psalms recorded in the Bible, the dominant recurring theme is "praise the Lord!" The book is like a memo from psalmists that says, "Today be sure to praise the Lord."

In Psalm 34, David writes: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Ps 34:1-3 NKJV).

In Psalm 113:1-3, the psalmist writes: "Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised."

In Psalm 118:24, the psalmist says, "This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

In Psalm 119:164, the psalmist says, "Seven times a day do l praise thee." We have coffee and tea breaks; they had praise breaks.

Finally we arrive at Psalm 150, the last psalm. In verse 6, the last verse of the last psalm, we are reminded again, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." That means as long as you are alive and breathing, you're to praise the Lord. So whatever else you do, or fail to do today, be sure to praise the Lord.

Be sure to praise the Lord Praise breaks

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NOV. 25, 2025

Start small, and keep a winning attitude. "Do not despise...small beginnings." Zec 4:10 NLT

Juan grew up in Puerto Rico, the son of a sugarcane plantation foreman. One of a family of eight, he lived in a three-room shack with a dirt floor and no toilet.

His first job, at age six, was driving oxen to plow the cane fields. He worked eight hours a day and earned one dollar. Juan said it was in the cane fields that he learned important lessons like being

• on time,
• work hard,
• and be loyal
• and respectful to your employers.

His job and small income were a great source of self-esteem.

At age seven he got a job at a golf course spotting balls for golfers, and he began to dream of playing golf and earning enough money to buy a bicycle. The more he dreamed, the more he thought, "Why not?"

He made a golf club out of a guava limb and a piece of pipe, then hammered an empty tin can into a ball.

Next, he dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth between them.

He practiced his "golf" with the same intensity he put into his job in the cane field, and he got good-very good.

In his thirty-one years as a pro golfer, Juan "Chi Chi" Rodríguez won eight PGA tour events and twenty-four major tournaments, and he was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

What can we learn from him? Two things: (1) Be willing to start small. The Bible says, "Do not despise...small beginnings."

(2) Be willing to think big because you serve a big God (See Eph 3:20).

Start small, and keep a winning attitude Be willing to think big.

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NOV. 5, 2025

The traits of a champion.

"For I know the plans I have for you... plans for good...to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11 TLB

Sports psychologists have identified six recurring traits that are common to Olympic gold medalist athletes. These traits of a champion apply to both men and women, but they are also dominant factors in the lives of those who succeed in non-athletic vocations as well. Let's look carefully at each trait and see what we can learn.

(1) Self-analysis. The successful athlete knows their strengths and weaknesses, and engages in a critical appraisal that is honest but never negative.

(2) Self-competition. A winner knows that he or she can only control their own performance, so they compete against their own best effort and not that of others.

(3) Focus. The champion is always "in the present," concentrating on the task at hand.

(4) Confidence. Successful athletes control anxiety by setting tough but reasonable goals. As these goals are reached, their confidence increases.

(5) Toughness. This is a mental trait that involves accepting risk and trying to win, rather than trying not to lose. Awinner sees change as opportunity, and accepts responsibility for their own destiny.

(6) Having a game plan. Even the best athletes know that talent is not enough; they must have a game plan. And here is the good news: You can develop these six traits. You say, "Where can I get a game plan for my life?" From the God who loves you and says in His Word, "For I know the plans I have for you...plans for good...to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen" (vv. 11-12 TLB).

The traits of a champion A game plan for your life

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