Thankful, Day Five

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

The Bible is clear. Everyone, everything, everywhere ought to be praising God with everything that they have. Here it says "all you lands." Elsewhere it says, "everything that has breath." Paul writes that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Psalmist writes that the trees of the field clap their hands, and Jesus said if the little children stopped praising Him, the rocks would cry out.

Everyone ought to give God praise and glory. Ought to, but they don't. It's not just Christians who have reason to be thankful. After all, the same sun shines on us all. It rains on everyone (or at least it will, when this drought in south central Texas is over) alike. We all breathe the same air, walk on the same ground. God is good to all of us, regardless of how good we are to Him.

Furthermore, Christ died for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, the perfect sinless lamb for all the sins of man. Jesus loved us while we were yet sinners and without strength. He loved us when we were unloving, unlovely and unlovable. He gave His life so that everyone could live, whosoever believes in Him. The same forgiveness, the same mercy and grace, that very same love is equally available to all.

What more reason could we have to give thanks?

I'm thankful today for the Word of God, which nourishes me Spiritually and gives me strength.

I'm thankful for the Spirit of God, who lives in me and continually works on me to make me more like Christ and less like myself.

I'm thankful for the promises of God, which give me hope of a future.

What are you thankful for today?