Psalm 100 - Praise and Thanksgiving to Jesus!!!
Psalm 100 (KJV) Make a joyful noise unto the
LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with
gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that
hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his
people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into
his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts
with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his
name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is
everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
COMMENTARY PEARLS
A Uniquely American Holiday
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go
into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him
and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4 NLT)
Today we celebrate Thanksgiving. This is
a uniquely American holiday. It doesnt
commemorate a battle or anyones birthday or
anniversary. Rather, its a day set aside with the
specific purpose of giving thanks to God Almighty.
Despite what the revisionists claim, many
of our founding fathers were very committed
Christians"not all of them, but many of them. They had a
respect for God and understood that He gave us this
great nation. Therefore, our first president,
George Washington, set aside a day to give thanks
to the Lord.
Fast-forward to today. For many,
Thanksgiving is just a holiday between Halloween and
Christmas. Its a day where we get together and stuff
ourselves before we go shopping on Black Friday. In
fact, stores traditionally were closed on
Thanksgiving Day, but now many are open. And some people
dont even call it Thanksgiving anymore. They call
it Turkey Day instead.
Thanksgiving originally was a day to give
glory to God, and for Christians, every day should
be a day of thanksgiving, minus the turkey.
Every day we should be giving thanks to the Lord.
We should have an attitude of gratitude.
Researchers have discovered that
gratitude actually has a positive effect on health.
Dr. Robert Emmons of UC Davis said, Gratitude
blocks toxic, negative emotions, such as envy,
resentment, regret, and depression, which can destroy
our happiness. Theres even recent evidence .
. . showing that gratitude can reduce the
frequency and duration of episodes of
depression.[1]
Psalm 100 is identified as a psalm of
thanksgiving; it originally was given to the people of
Israel. After God delivered them from Egypt, they
made a very long trek through the wilderness,
ultimately arriving at the brink of the Promised Land.
But God warned them, When you have
eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to
forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in
the land of Egypt. You must fear the Lord your
God and serve him (Deuteronomy 6:11-13 NLT).
This can very easily happen to us as
well. When were in trouble, when were facing
crisis, we call on God. But when things are going
reasonably well, we can start to forget about God.
We need to remember to give thanks to
God. We might set an alarm to remind us to get up
at a certain hour of the day, or we ask someone
to remind us to do something.
Psalm 100 is a reminder to give thanks:
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship
the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing
with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He
made us, and we are his. We are his people, the
sheep of his pasture (verses 1"3 NLT).
Our rejoicing on Thanksgiving Day and,
really, every day should not be based on what we
have materially. It should be based on who we
know. Possessions come and go. Friends come and
go. So does time. But God does not come and go.
He remains. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Communion Leads to Gratitude
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for
which we give thanks a participation in the blood
of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a
participation in the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians
10:16 (NIV)
When we take Communion, we are reminded
of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Its not an empty ritual that
Christians do just because they have to. Instead, God
wants us to practice Communion to help us
remember. Why do we need to remember? So we can be
grateful. You can only be grateful for those things
that you remember.
Communion is also called the Lord's
Supper. It is a habit of gratitude because it helps
us remember what Jesus did for us on the
cross.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25,
On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus
took bread and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He
broke the bread and said, This is my body,
which is given for you. Do this to remember me.
When supper was over, he did the same
with the cup. He said, This cup is the new
promise made with my blood. Every time you drink
from it, do it to remember me (GW).
Jesus gave us the bread and the wine as a
memory tool. We use this tool to practice gratitude
for what it cost Jesus to pay for our
salvation.
Another word for Communion is the
Eucharist. This is a Greek word that means
thanksgiving. Communion is meant to be a model of
thanksgiving. It's one of Gods favorite ways that we
give thanks to him! We can show thanks to God in
many ways"through songs of thanksgiving,
through thanksgiving offerings, or through the
thanksgiving cup.
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for
which we give thanks a participation in the blood
of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a
participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians
10:16 NIV).
When we drink from a Communion cup and
eat the bread, we are saying to God, Father,
thank you for sending your Son to live a perfect
life and die for our sins so that we can be
forgiven.
As we remind ourselves of the high price
Jesus paid to save us, the only reasonable
response is gratitude. [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
In order to serve Him aright, we must be
born of the divine Spirit. This will purify the
heart and renew the mind, giving us a new capacity
for knowing and loving God. It will give us a
willing obedience to all His requirements. This is
true worship. It is the fruit of the working of
the Holy Spirit. DA189
It is working together with Christ that is
true worship. Prayers, exhortation, and talk can
be cheap fruits, which are frequently tied on;
but fruits that are manifested in good works, in
caring for the needy, the fatherless, and widows,
are genuine fruits, and grow naturally upon a
good tree. 2T24
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
Psalm 100 - Praise and Thanksgiving to
Jesus!!!
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231122-0825.html
Psalm 107:1 - TRUE THANKSGIVING!
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221125-0902.html
Psalm 146 - Praise Is Evidence Of The Life
Of God In The Heart.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080103-1505.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/