Evolution of Praise: Devotions From Time of GraceSampel

Give a eulogy today!

Do you know what a eulogy is? In Greek, it simply means, “a good word.” We often equate eulogies to funeral speeches, but such praise doesn’t have to wait until the wake. It can happen today.

I think of Bethany’s eulogy. When her father turned 50, Bethany gathered 50 eulogies, 50 good words of praise about the kind of man her father was and the kind of deeds her father had done. I wasn’t there for his party, but I can only imagine how that daddy felt when his little girl read her eulogies. And I can only imagine how reading those “good words” made her appreciate her father even more.

No wonder Peter writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Peter 1:3). Peter knows the power of praise, of giving a daily eulogy, not for the dead but for the living God, the exalted King who calls himself our Father and we his dear children. Peter encourages us today to think of 50 thousand reasons why God is worthy to be praised, blessed, exalted, magnified, glorified, and lifted up. Unpack what words like grace, mercy, salvation, forgiveness, and peace mean. List the blessings that prove God is worthy to be praised. If you take time to praise God today, your Father won’t be the only one moved. Your heart will be too.