Enter His Gates – Gratitude Part 2

Scripture: Psalm 100 A psalm of thanksgiving. 1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. (Psalm 100 NLT) I’m focusing on Psalm 100 again today. There are a ton of scriptures about Thankfulness in the Bible, but there’s still something here for us today. Just in case you wonder, we’re doing Practical Theology today. So by the time you finish reading this, you’ll be a genuine Theologian. (Theology simply means Knowledge of God. Practical Theology is learning about God so we can relate to God better.) Vs 5: The outcome of this exercise is that we’re going to know that the Lord is good. We’ll know that his unfailing love never ends, and his faithfulness reaches all the way to you and me, today, wherever we are, whatever frame of mind we’re in. God is good, loving, and faithful to you and me right now, right here! Here’s how we get there: Vs 4: We’re going to think of some things we’re thankful for – things God has done for you. Stop for thirty seconds and think of five things you’re thankful for. You can write them or say them. I found I had quite a list, so I stopped at about 10. Now, we’re going to think of some five things to praise God for – things God has done on a larger scale. Again, you can write them or say them. I thought of his greatness as creator, of his care for his people, of sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way to life, of Jesus’ willing sacrifice for us, and of the Holy Spirit’s presence with us. Finally, we’re going to worship God – for his nature and character. I said, “I love you, Father. You have been so, so kind to me. I adore you for your grace, your mercy, and your steadfast love which never fails. I worship you, for you alone are worthy.” Vs 1-3: I gotta say, friends, I feel almost like singing! I might put on some worship music and sing along. What about you? My sadness over all that’s going on has faded some and I’ve got some gladness for God’s faithfulness – for who God is and what God has done. What about you? I believe there is joy after sorrow, light after darkness, and hope after despair. What about you? Prayer: Father, We thank you, we praise you, and we worship you, for you are good! Amen!