Thought for the Week - 25th October

Pastor Gareth Watkins

Psalm 100: 4-5 (NKJV)

“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.’’

We know that we should be thankful to God, praise Him, and worship Him. These are terms we hear said together often, but they are not just throw away words we say as Christians, they are states of heart, states in which our hearts must be to enable us to enter into the presence of God.

Thanksgiving, praise, and worship may sound similar and perhaps blur into one another just as colours of a rainbow do, but like those colours also, they are each distinct. I once heard the difference described as, thanksgiving being related to the goodness of God, praise to the greatness of Him, and worship related to His holiness.

To enter deeper into the courts of God, we must praise Him for who He is. ‘’He is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures all generations.’’ This is an enormous statement and tells us of just some of God’s greatness. We need to appreciate who He is and ask Him for a revelation of this so that we gain understanding of how to praise Him. To enter into the presence of God isn’t just some pretty illustration, it is the reality of coming into the company of the King of kings, the Lord of lords and the Creator of all things. Who are we in the company of the magnificent God? How small we are indeed, yet our Father wants us, wants you and I, to be in His company. Do we realise the enormity of entering into His presence, and that He cares that we enter into it?

We can’t come to Him with irreverence, selfishness, and full of pride, but in awe and with praise for His greatness to us, our families and our church. Praise Him for His faithfulness week after week, His everlasting truth, His generational blessings, and for His Son Jesus Christ. We are to come to Him with all we have; praise is not just words, but it is in all we do, in our actions, possessions, and service, and in the offering of our whole selves. God gives to us greatly and we ought to praise Him with all that we have, and all that we are.

Examine yourselves today, do you go to God with praise, or are you going immaturely for blessing only?

Give glory to our almighty God, He is worthy.

Amen.

 

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