A Psalm of praise.
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing. 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. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his
mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalms 100:1-5 KJV
One of the very first
passages of scripture I memorized was the 100th Psalm out of the
King James Version of the Bible. I
recall the time very vividly because I worked hard to get it down during
Vacation Bible School at Parkland Baptist Church. That Psalm has been with me almost sixty
years. Remembering is not one of best
attributes anymore. So many things have
faded away but that scripture has remained clear.
I’m certain I did not
understand the depth of this Psalm as a young boy in Tulsa. Oklahoma but today
it is a wonderful invitation to come before a Holy God with praise and
gratitude. What a privilege and a
blessing such an opportunity provides.
The right to enter a
private place usually requires some form of credential or authority. You don’t just walk in to a private place
without invitation and recognition. We
pass by many places that are comfortable and provide help and provision each
day but we have no right to enter.
On a recent golf trip to
Arkansas our foursome had traveled over five hours and then played a round of
golf and were anxious to get to the house we had rented after dinner. Leaving the restaurant we were at the mercy
of the GPS system for directions. While
we felt certain the turn from the restaurant parking should be to the right for
the main gate the system said go left.
So we did. We traveled quite a
distance and had a lot of reservations about whether we were going the right
way. The last few turns the GPS gave led
us deep into the woods. We were almost
certain we could hear the banjo from the movie Deliverance playing in
the trees. Finally we came to a gate but
we did not have a card to enter. We were
less than two blocks from the house but could not pass the gate. In order to get there we had to drive
completely around to the main gate where we had a pass to show and get
through. Frustrated is an understatement
for the way we felt at 11:00 at night.
As we backed down that
dark road I thought about this Psalm and the invitation that God gives to Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise. It
is only His grace that opens the gate and allows us access. Jesus told of a wide road that leads to a
wide gate and destruction and a narrow road that leads to a narrow gate that
leads to life. That gate is the cross
and it alone is our key to the kingdom.
As
we sat outside that gate it was sad to know that just inside was rest and
comfort but we did not have the key. Too
many will travel a long way only to discover they have no access the Kingdom of
God. They will try all of their earthly
keys of good works, sacrifice and religion but none will open that gate. I thank God for the key to the Kingdom…the
Cross of Jesus Christ!
Scripture to Claim:
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and
the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter
through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and
there are few who find it. Matthew
7:13-14 NASB
