Psalm 100, A Psalm of Thanksgiving

As we enter Thanksgiving week, I do hope we are very thankful for what the Lord has done for us. Last week we looked at what we gained through the perfect obedience of Jesus. It is much more than we deserve or could ever earn. This should cause us to shout for joy and thank the Lord! This is what Psalm 100 is all about. This is also a prelude to the soon-coming Kingdom of God when the whole earth will praise the Lord. We can only imagine what that will be like! Obviously, we are not there yet. The nations are in an uproar. Psalm 2:1-3. 

1 Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth. This shout refers to a glad shout when a king appears to his people. The world is going to shout when Jesus reigns! Psalm 98:4-6.

2 Serve the Lord with gladness. Why? He is good! He is gracious. He will never mistreat you. He is a good master!

Come before Him with joyful singing. He wants us to be joyful and happy before Him. He wants us to praise and worship Him. His lovingkindness is everlasting. Yes, we need to revere Him and have reverence towards Him. But you can do that and still be excited about the Lord. It is also a weapon against evil.

3 Know that the Lord Himself is God. He is the only true God, the Creator. He is personal too. There is an old saying that you need to know yourself before you can know God. Why do you think that is? When we acknowledge our sinful nature and what He has done for us, when we see His grace and His mercy towards us, we begin to understand His character better. This is His nature. His love for us will never stop or fail. Jeremiah said His mercies are new every morning. Spend time with Him and you will know that the Lord Himself is God.

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We could not do that. It's impossible! We cannot create life or things out of nothing. But man wants to get there, doesn't he? Supposedly we are evolving to a higher level or a higher form, gods. Well, I wonder if any of these people that actually believe that have watched the news lately? Also, to think and believe that perfection came out of chaos requires more faith than to just believe in a creator. Of course, that belief is based on selfishness.

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Again, He created us. We are the people that He died for. Jesus is the great shepherd for all who will follow Him. Sheep are not very intelligent animals, but they know the shepherd's voice. Out there in the pasture, the sheep gather around the shepherd and look up to him. Isn't that a great picture? Stop stressing over things you cannot control. Cease striving. Look up to Jesus and listen to His voice and follow Him.

4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving. Lev. 7:11-13. This was originally a thank offering. The people were thanking God for accepting their sacrifices. Jesus came and was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Now we should give thanks that God our Father accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. So let us come to Him with thanksgiving. Who can ever do more for us than Jesus Christ? Praise the Lord! Has He been good to you? The sacrifice is finished, but the thankfulness goes on forever. Is God good?

And His courts with praise. The sacrifices were accepted in the court. The people's sin was atoned for and they praised God for it. Now because of Jesus, we can go all the way into the Holy of holies. Praise His name!

Give thanks to Him, bless His name. Bless His name for what He has done for you and what you have gained from His sacrifice. Bless the name of Jesus. He has blessed you. Ephesians 1:3. Bless Him in the good times and in the difficult times. Exalt in your tribulations.

5 For the Lord is good. Psalm 86:5. He is light. There is no darkness in Him. He is truth. He is love. HE IS GOOD!

His lovingkindness is everlasting. How encouraging is that? Especially in these times of discouraging things happening all around us and the world. His mercy endures forever. John 6:37.
And His faithfulness to all generations. He was faithful then, He is faithful now, and He will always be faithful. Has He been faithful to you? Praise the name of Jesus! God is so good! 

As I stated earlier, this is a prelude, a prophecy of the coming Kingdom of God, the age of peace, the thousand-year reign of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. We will see it either from here or from heaven. Why will we shout and praise and give Him thanks? Let's look at a couple of verses. Isaiah

11:1-5. That's my kind of King and ruler! He will be a good King. The best King ever. Isaiah 25:8,9. Wonderful! Swallow up death for all time. Wipe tears away from all faces. Remove the reproach of His people. That's why!

Can you imagine the whole earth praising the Lord at the same time? Have you ever been to a service when the Holy Spirit is moving and the worship was great? You got goosebumps and started crying. It will not begin to compare to what it will be like when the Kingdom is on earth and all His creation is worshipping Him. Do you think the Holy Spirit will be there? Do you know He is powerful enough and He is able to inhabit the praise of all the earth at once? Do you think the heavenly choir will be praising God at the same time? Try to imagine it! Will we melt in pure joy? Joy sublime! It will be indescribable because there are no words to describe what it will be like. There are no words to describe what it will sound like. There are no words to describe what it will feel like. It will be heaven on earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I am looking so forward to that day! Are you? PRAISE THE LORD and be THANKFUL!

                                    THINGS TO CONSIDER

Do you sing joyfully to the Lord?

Do you thank Him for what He has done for you?

Do you bless His holy name? He is good!

Do you desire to have this real joy in your heart? Do you desire to have a heart that praises the Lord?

Do you desire to enjoy His everlasting lovingkindness and faithfulness?

Trust Jesus today as your Lord and Savior! These wonderful free gifts will be yours forever!

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