By Toni Ford
As soon as you read the above title, your mind might have immediately gone to Psalm 100. Consisting of only five verses, this short psalm, is often referred to as the “Psalm of Thanksgiving.” When I think of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season we currently are experiencing, I think of a season to be thankful!
Psalm 100: 1-5 says, “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. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”
There are three characteristics from this psalm, which serves as a good reminder and a challenge for us as believers to make a daily part of our lives each day, especially during this holiday season.
Joyfulness. “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.” Our Lord deserves our shouts of joy and praise. When watching a sports event, we don’t hesitate to shout for our favorite team; thus, we should never hesitate to shout with joy for our Lord! Worship leads to service and true service is worship, which means our songs of worship and our shouts of joy are received in heaven as sacrifices to the Lord.
Recognition. “Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” To “acknowledge,” or “know” means “to know by experience.” What we have experienced in our hearts, we openly confess and make known to others. How incredible is it that the God of the universe calls us and wants us as His own. Our only responsibility is to acknowledge, confess and recognize Him as God, Redeemer and Shepherd!
Thankfulness. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continue to each generation.” It is because of the Lord’s goodness, mercy and faithfulness that we come before Him with a heart of thankfulness and gratitude. From generation to generation, our Lord has proven that He can be trusted. A spirit of thanksgiving helps us overcome a grumbling, negative and complaining spirit.
Thank you, Lord, for being my Shepherd and my Redeemer. I declare your goodness today and worship you for being the one and only true God. I come today with a heart of thankfulness for your mercy, love and faithfulness towards me! Today, we lift you up, oh Lord, and give thanks for all you have done for us!