Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever
and his faithfulness to all generations.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
A number of years ago, my sister gave me a gratitude journal for Christmas. It was a simple little book that had a page for each day with five lines at the top and space for more notes at the bottom. The goal was to write down five things I was grateful for at the end of each day. I wish I could say that I did that everyday for a year, but I’m not that disciplined. I did, however, complete more pages than I left blank. It proved to be a valuable exercise for my spiritual and emotional health.
The Psalmist tells us to 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. There are lots of reasons why coming into God’s house with thanksgiving and praise is a great idea. We can’t complain and argue with folks while we’re being thankful for them, can we? We also can’t take all God’s blessings for granted while we’re praising God and giving thanks for them. Praising and glorifying God keeps us humble and open to following God’s will. When we’re grateful for all that God is doing for us, we’re more likely to be generous and helpful to others.
God doesn’t actually need our thanks, or our praise. God is, however, delighted to receive them. God expects us to be thankful, and to spend time in worship and praise, because it keeps us in right relationship with God and each other.
prayer: Lord God: You, alone, are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. Thank you for all the many blessings you shower on me and for the relationship we have through prayer. AMEN