Thursday, November 16, 2023
Be Thankful – Psalm 100 submitted by Kay Crumley
Thanksgiving has become a small pause in time between Halloween and Christmas commercially. We see great displays of all the candy and decorations for the first big celebration of fall, not even a holiday, in all the store displays for Halloween. Many spend time and money decorating their yards and homes with pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, witches, etc. Do we consider the origin of this event? Are we trying to ward off the ghosts of the dead as the Celtics were doing when this tradition originated? Might it be more fun to have those children perform a skit for us to earn the candy we freely hand out as was common in the 16th century? As soon as stores sell the last of the Halloween candy the Christmas decorations come out. There are seldom any Thanksgiving decorations displayed. So, what is Thanksgiving all about?
Those who enjoy learning history know that the solely American holiday was first celebrated by the survivors of the Mayflower and American Natives to commemorate those brave Pilgrims surviving in the New World. But that isn’t the only reason we need to pause and take time to be thankful. As Christians, we are taught to be Thankful to the One who provides all we have and need. Psalm 100 is a great example of one being thankful.
1 Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
3 Acknowledge that Yahweh is God.
He made us, and we are His —
His people, the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
5 For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal;
His faithfulness endures through all generations.
As we examine these verses, I will list some of the ways and reasons we are to offer our thankfulness to Him.
How should we thank Him:
· Shout – just as we shout at sports events when our teams make a good play we should shout with joy and praise to the God of creation, all He does is good.
· Serve Him – most people willingly serve, cater to, someone we respect or see as worthy of caring for. God certainly fits that description, and we are to serve gladly, not grudgingly.
· Sing joyful songs to Him – most listen to or sing the songs we enjoy. Are those mostly songs exalting God or something or someone else?
· Acknowledge He is God – when we put Him first and give Him the glory, we recognize that He is all we need.
Why should we thank Him:
· He made us – God is our creator, He created man and woman in His image. He knows our thoughts and actions.
· We are the sheep of His pasture – He created the earth and all that’s in or on it. He provides our every need and protects us when we follow Him.
· His love for us is eternal – never ending, not conditional, and without discrimination. He loves all His creation. We must accept the gift of His love.
· He is faithful – we never need to question what He promises. He will always be true to His Word.
I pray you’ve found reasons to be thankful to God. He is the One and Only God, Creator, Sustainer, and Lover of our soul. We are to be thankful every day of our lives to the One who gives life and provides an eternal home for those who accept His gift of salvation.
