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It’s great to be appreciated and valued. Gratitude is essential to healthy human interactions of all kinds. At some point in our pilgrimage, our parents, spouses, children, neighbors, and colleagues expect us to express appreciation in some way for their contributions to our lives. We are indebted to many people for who we are and where we are in life. Even more so, we are indebted to God. That should come out in our thanks and gratitude to Him. No one in our lives is more deserving of gratitude than the Lord, and we can be assured that He will receive our gratitude as a sweet smelling sacrifice of praise. And when we have persistently practiced gratitude toward God, it will be manifested in our gratitude and attitude toward others.
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Question
As you get ready for Thanksgiving, isn’t
there something you want to thank God for this year?
How do we express our thanks to the One who has done so much for us? In His love for us, God has given us Psalm 100, a short but expressive psalm that gives us a wonderful formula for the expression of thanksgiving.
What's the point?
Thanks should come naturally when I think about God.
Psalm 100 is addressed to all generations. Psalm 100 is for the whole world, all ages, and in all stages of life. It’s a universal message. God wants all people at all times to apply this message. Throughout the psalm, the psalmist is speaking of the Lord. You can’t appreciate the message of the psalmist until you are intimately acquainted with the one of whom he speaks: Jehovah Himself. Psalm 100 gives us seven imperatives or commands of thanksgiving.
I. WITH JOY – PSALM 100:1-2
1 Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
This is a psalm, a song of praise divinely inspired by God. This psalm is a series of commands from God. He is telling us what to do and how to do it.
Find the first 3 commands in these verses.
- Shout - Give a triumphal shout to the Lord. What does this mean? Sometimes in worship we need to just raise a shout, cry out, and give praise to our God who is worthy of all our praise. Worship is not a spectator sport; it’s a participatory event. The psalmist says we need to give shouts – verbal expressions – of thanksgiving! As I walk down the corridors of time, I remember that God has done some things for me that I just can’t keep quiet about.
- Worship - Serve God with gladness. What does this mean? We are saved to serve; not saved to sit. A sign of a grateful saint is service with a smile. We serve the Lord by serving others; bearing each other’s burdens, restoring saints to the Lord and encouraging them on their way. Colossians 3:23 tells us that, whatever we do; we don’t do it to please people but to glorify the Lord.
- Come - Come into the presence of God with the singing of joyful songs. What does this mean? God desires happy people rejoicing in His presence, for in His presence is abundant joy. Ephesians 5:19 calls us to use psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to sing and make music to the Lord in our heart. We are singing to the Lord! He is our only audience.
“Thanksgiving will … take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.” – Andrew Murray
What one attitude or characteristic dominated this call to worship the Lord?
- The Lord is due our worship.
- Joy and gladness of heart ought to mark our worship and service to the Lord.
II. FOR LIFE – PSALM 100:3-4
3 Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His —His people, the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
Find the next 3 commands in these verses.
- Know - Acknowledge that the Lord is God. What does this mean? We’re not God. We need to know who is in charge. He is our Creator, and He fashions us after His own will. We look precisely as He planned for us to look. None of us can joyfully live our lives until we accept that God made us. And the good news is that He is still making us or conforming us to be like Him (Rom. 8:29). We are His sheep in His care. Isn’t that the cause for thanksgiving?
- Enter - Offer public praise. What does this mean? The gates and courts are the temple, the place where the people approached God’s presence. The temple gates and courts both gave access to the place where God dwelled among His people. Today we can come into the very presence of God through Jesus in prayer. When you come into the presence of God, do so with thanksgiving and praise!
- Give - Give thanks to God and bless His name. What does this mean? We have much to be thankful for. I’m thankful because it’s a privilege to be in the family of God; I am saved from the penalty of sin, I’m being saved from the power of sin, and one day I’ll be totally free from the presence of sin.
What does it mean to acknowledge (know) the Lord?
- The Lord alone is God, the authority over all things.
- We know the Lord as the all-powerful Creator who gave us life, but also as One who tenderly shepherds us through life.
- As His people, we have the privilege of coming into His presence to give Him thanks, sing His praise, and bless His holy Name.
How has acknowledging God influenced your attitudes and actions?
III. FOR HIS GOODNESS – PSALM 100:5
5 For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.
Find the last command in verse 5.
- Praise His Name - Thank God for who He is. What does this mean? Verses 3-4 call us to thank and praise God for His role in our lives. Verse 5 reminds us how God has worked in our lives. He has worked in our lives with goodness, love, and faithfulness.
What three attributes of God are identified in these verses?
- God is good, love, and faithful.
- God’s constant goodness, gracious love, and unwavering faithfulness are the source of unending joy and gladness to those who know Him.
What is the difference between being thankful for things and being thankful for God Himself?
Saying thank you is a basic courtesy that we try to instill in our children at the youngest age. Expressing gratitude doesn’t come naturally or easily for them – or for us for that matter. It calls for a certain discipline and devotion that recognizes our dependence on another, whether for a stick of gum or a heroic act that saved our lives.
Most people in our society, even those with no religious background, acknowledge we have much to be thankful for. But to whom should that gratitude be expressed? That is what is missing for many people. The Thanksgiving holiday gives us an opportunity to call attention to the source of all blessing, the Lord God.
Let's learn to have a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Day!
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Prayer of Commitment
Lord, may the words from my mouth, the attitude in my heart, and the work of my hands, declare with joy my gratitude to You for Your goodness, today and every day. Amen.
Be in prayer this week as we turn our hearts and eyes to Thanksgiving - what will you thank God for this year?
In His Love,
David & Susan
