As many times as we may hear these phrases, there is no doubt that this can be a stumbling block in our effort to reconcile our logical thinking with the concepts of faith.
The hard-core naysayers would mock these phrases, saying – “Does God have such an enormous ego that He requires constant adoration?”
Perhaps the true question is “do we need to express our love to receive the benefits of a relationship with our creator?” Does it serve any purpose to “praise” God?
Even those of us open to finding a reason to abolish our doubts and embrace the Christian message may struggle to fully grasp the concept of loving a spiritual entity Who has no visible form in our material existence? We are all familiar with the emotional feeling of love for a spouse, a child, even a pet. But we may find it difficult to experience that same feeling for a spiritual being we cannot see or touch.
Like so much of our understanding of the spiritual dimension of our existence, the answer may be more complex than we realize.
In our effort to apply logic to accepting the messages in the Bible, we might find a parallel and a solution in contemporary motivational psychology.
Anyone who has sought the “secrets” of achievement has probably encountered some variation of the message that success is more likely when a person approaches their goal with a fervent desire to reach that goal. The promoters of methods of personal achievement all seem to stress the need for an emotional element as key to obtaining the desired result.
If this is true, logic suggests that a strong emotional element seems to tap into or evoke an unidentified force that has the capacity to influence the outcome.
In short, there is power in passion.
Further along the trail of logical reasoning, we might recognize that loving and praising God is not for His benefit, but for ours. It may be that the emotional element of “loving” God creates a stronger, clearer channel of communication with the Creator.
“And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.” – Mark 12-30
Perhaps praising and loving God is simply expressing gratitude.
And perhaps expressing gratitude opens the floodgates to greater blessings.
You will find my personal mantra in the closing comments of my book – “Faithful Logic, Logical Faith.”
Click HERE to learn about my journey of discovery.