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
This is a Psalm with two stanzas of six lines each. The first three lines of each stanza tell us what to do; the last three lines of each stanza tell us why. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David communicated God's desire to be in relationship with us, and to be in close proximity to us. God wants us to draw near to Him in praise and worship, He wants us to draw near in spirit and in truth.
I'm reminded of the story of the old married couple riding down the road in the truck, the old man at the wheel, and the old woman against the passenger door. She looks over at him and says, "Pa, we don't sit as close as we used to." He looks back and says, "I ain't the one that moved." There are times when I don't feel as close to God as at others, but in those times it is not God who has pulled away from me. Rather, I have pulled away from God. For whatever reason--I get busy doing stuff; I let things distract me; I allow myself to be drawn away in various pursuits. Sometimes I'm even guilty of avoiding God because of something I've done wrong, and I don't want to stand before a disappointed God.
When I finally do come to Him, I find Him right where I left Him, waiting on my return. He hasn't abandoned or forsaken or forgotten Me, and He welcomes me with openness and acceptance and forgiveness. He wants me with Him, and truth be told, I want to be with Him. With the Lord is the best place to be, and His presence has no equal. So we should follow the counsel of the Psalmist: Enter into His gates...And into His courts!
And when we come, let us do so with thanksgiving and praise!
Today, I'm thankful for God's provision in multiple ways as I'm getting ready to make some really big changes in my life.
I'm thankful for God's peace, especially as these really big changes take place.
I'm thankful for God's assurance as I trust and follow Him through these changes. Everything is going to be alright!
What are you thankful for today?
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