Psalm 117:1-2 sings, “Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. 2 For he loves us with unfailing love; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
Romans 15:11 says, “And yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”
In this quote from Psalm 117:1, the psalmist calls the Gentiles to praise God. It must have been startling, at times, for Jews to be reminded from their own Scriptures that the God who had chosen them was not theirs alone. Since God’s unlimited love has been extended to all people, Jewish Christians should accept the Gentile Christians as full-fledged participants in God’s Kingdom.
Colossians 3:17 AMPC says, “And whatever you do [ what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.”
Matthew 5:16 NLT says, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
“In the same way” that a light shines from a stand, we as Christ’s disciples must let our light shine before others by letting our “good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Jesus made it clear that there would be no mistaking the source of a believer’s good works. The believer’s light shines not for himself but to reflect the light back to the Father and so direct people to Him.