The only thing worth doing at this point is to praise the Lord.

A lot of people think Paul is breaking out into a song here. As he reflects on what God has done to change his life, and how God is using his testimony to help others experience eternal life, he breaks out in praise. It's overwhelming when we really consider God's great mercy on us. It's appropriate to praise Him. No other response is fitting here, except to praise God.

Now (not sure if really in Greek or not, but principle surely true) is the appropriate time to praise Him. If there is anything keeping us from thankfully submitting to God we need to clear it up now. Praising God is so fitting.

Unto the King eternal: There will never be a change in who is King. He will always be in charge. He will reign forever and ever. Kings of this world come and go. Sometimes their supporters enjoy prosperity one year, but are destroyed in horror the next year. But with God, you can be confident that He will rule forever. You can serve Him and know for absolute certainty that it will never turn out bad.

He is so worth identifying with. 100 years from now we will be so glad we stood up for Him, witnessed for Him, gave Him our time, money, and energy. I need to remember this so I can share for Him and give my all to Him. Fifty billion years from now He will still be in control. His kingdom is secure forever and ever hallelujah! Every knee shall bow and acknowledge that God reigns forever and ever.

Let's not make the foolish mistake of ignoring God, and thinking we are getting away with our bad choices. God, please help us see and remember the truth that you will reign forever and ever.

Incorruptible (immortal in KJV): "uncorrupted, not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable." God does not change or decay. Wood rots. Metal rusts, or tarnishes. Food spoils. People age and die. When I wrestle the younger men it becomes harder and harder for me to hang in there. It's all downhill for me now physically. But God doesn't slow down with age. He's not some frail old man sitting on the throne. He is the King that will never loose any of His glory. His might will never diminish.

Neither does he accept bribes. He can't be corrupted. That's quite a contrast to human leaders (politicians). We use the term "politics" to describe unfair judgements resulting from self-interests. As humans, we fall so easily into the corruption of compromise. But as the King who can't be corrupted, He doesn't compromise with other kingdoms. He never has sinned, and he never will sin. He is without spot or blemish. He's perfect in every way. He can't be improved upon.

Neither is He moody or fickle. He doesn't all of a sudden realize He overlooked something and change His mind. He doesn't do wrong because of peer pressure. He's perfect in every way.

That's why we need to follow His Word, His law. It is the reflection of the glory of God. It reveals perfection, showing us the way to go. Good doctrine helps us by showing us where we fall short. Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Proverbs 6:21-23

I need to let Him live through me. That's the only way I can experience incorruptible character, because He is the only One who possesses it. Some men lie for the fun of it and some only lie when they think they have too. But all men are corrupt. All have evil thoughts. Only by clinging to Him can we escape corruption. We need that help desperately.

God wants us to set our standard at perfection. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. We need to let His way be the standard, and cry out for the miracle of Him doing it through us. That is living by faith.

And only when He gives us life can we live forever, and escape physical corruption.

Invisible: What an awesome thing to be invisible. We have probably all wished, at one time or another, that we could be invisible. God is. He has the power to decide what can and can't be seen.

We can't see him with our natural eyes. He is on a higher plane than we are. He supercedes the laws of physics. His power is so much greater. God is here. Christ is here. And we can't see them. There is another whole whelm that we can't see or detect. The room could be crowded with the great cloud of witnesses and angels, and we wouldn't be able to detect a thing.

He is watching all the time. Our problem is we forget about that. We do things we wouldn't do if we knew we were on candid camera for everyone to see. If I remembered this, and believed that the King of the universe was watching me all the time, I would get a lot more done for the kingdom of God. People usually work hard when the boss is watching them. I would be a lot nicer to the person that irritated me if I knew his maker was watching. I would be more loyal, loving and bold for Him if I saw Him standing right next to me when I was talking to a stranger.

There is a lot that we don't see. But He sees it all. Like a pilot being guided through a storm with very little visibility, we need to trust His directions. He will guide us safely through life if we will trust His vision instead of our own.

The only wise God! There is no other place to look for true wisdom. There are no other gods that have it. Worldly philosophies and so-called sciences are vain except they adhere to God's principles. That's why we will come up short if we base our thinking on stories, and giving heed to people's importance. The real stuff originates from Him and Him alone. We so easily think we have it all together. If we're not careful, we will fall into thinking that we know better than everyone else. But all true judgements come from the only One who is really wise. Without Him, we don't know how to come in or go out. It is by reverencing Him that we obtain real wisdom. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

Daniel and his companions were found to be ten times wiser than the rest of king Nebuchadnezzar's counselors, because God was with them. David and Solomon ruled with stunning discernment, because God granted it to them. God, please help us to see the correct source for all wisdom.

To such a great God as this, be honor and glory forever and ever. God will always have honor and glory. He will always be worthy of honor and glory. By verbalizing this we are merely acknowledging reality. We are agreeing with the obvious. But even so, let our voices be raised in truth that we may be found in the way of truth. He is honor-able. He is glori-ous. May we verbalize this truth forever and ever, for He is worthy.

When we see someone of high moral character we say they are worthy of honor. When someone gives himself to the needs of others, he does what is honorable. We honor soldiers who give their lives for their country. Their service was honorable. God epitomizes this. He is worthy of more honor than all others combined. All honor comes from Him and belongs to Him. So be it.

He is spectacular. Great things are glorious. But they don't even hold a candle to the brightness and splendor of His glory. The most glorious thing in this universe, even all the universe together, is but the works of His hands. He makes the sun look like a burnt out light bulb. We can't even behold His glory in flesh and blood or we will disintegrate. All glory comes from Him and belongs to Him. So be it. And so it will be.

On one hand, He will have glory and honor regardless of what I do or say. On the other hand, I have a choice to make my life count to bring glory and honor to Him and His kingdom. I want God to help my life line up with this reality. May everything I do bring honor and glory to God. How I use my time is important. What I say to others is important. Either it brings honor and glory to God, or else it brings dishonor and shame. Everything we say and do matters. God, please help us not to cause others to blaspheme your good name. It takes a miracle to live up to His standards in this world, but praise God that's what He came to do: to deliver us from our sins.

Amen means so be it, let it be fulfilled. By saying amen Paul is taking a stand, and saying I want these things to be true for my life. I'm committed to living this way, to bring honor and glory to God. So be it for my life. Let this be fulfilled!

Amen to me is like planting a flag. When people landed in America they planted a flag to claim this country. I think of the famous statue of the men raising the American flag. At great expense they raised the flag (excuse any historical inaccuracies) on the hill for everyone to see, to encourage the rest of our troops that we were taking control of that land. In battle, people give their lives to uphold the flag. We might think it's a waste when that same person could be carrying a gun instead; but we all need the encouragement that we're marching forward and we're not going to give up. When I say "amen" in church, I'm saying "this is true, and I want to live my life by it." Paul is saying, "this is where I'm standing. I'm committed to making my life count to give honor and glory to God!" There is a balance of both faith and choice. We have to choose, but we can only accomplish this by faith. God please help me live this out.

We are the happiest and most content when we honor God. We are created for this purpose. God bestows true joy upon us when we fulfill our purpose and glorify Him. By giving it all to Him, which is all His anyway, He giveth us richly all things to enjoy.

Praising God is not as much about verbalizing praises as it is about our lifestyle. Do we thankfully put our trust in Him? It's easy to say the words of this verse, and we are supposed to say them, but God is seeing what's in our hearts. It's worthless if I'm being a grump about my trials, and I say "praise God" when you ask me how I'm doing. It's easy to honor God with our lips when our heart is far from Him. Yes we should verbalize praise. It's a wonderful, fitting thing to do. But God help us treat Him as the all- powerful King who is worth serving forever. He is the perfect example that we should follow. He sees everything I do, and is the only true source of wisdom. He alone is worthy of all honor and glory, of which He will receive forever and ever. When my life says this, then the words will come out and truly give honor and glory to the great King!

If we praise God, and our heart is not really there, then we are using the Lord's name in vain. Anytime we use His name lightly we are using it in vain. God help us to mean what we say when we invoke your name.