LEARNING DAILY

Psalm 100:4, Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

There is a lot of thought and preparation being made for the coming Thanksgiving week. It is a time set aside for Americans to offer their thanks to God for His many blessings – both to us and upon our nation. It is my prayer that Believers pause from the business of preparation, parades, the food, and yes, even the football games and offer heartfelt thanks to God for His many blessings and His faithfulness during this past year.

One of the many blessings in my life is the fact that God never changes. Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” He is loving, patient, kind, merciful, and generous; He is as dependable today as He was in every situation written about in His Word. God pours out His blessings every day. James 1:17 speaks of every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and Romans 8:28-30 tells us He arranges everything in our lives for good and for His glory.

When one “enters His gates” it is coming into the presence of God; it begins with giving sincere thanks and praise. It means one delights in being in God’s presence, to celebrate, to worship with happiness and joy. Why? The answer is found in the previous verse, “Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Enter His presence knowing that He alone is God, there is no other; our thanksgiving comes from knowing it comes because of an intimate and personal relationship with the God of the universe! He is the source of our lives and being, and as Believers, we belong to Him.

Believers can “enter His courts with thanksgiving” thinking about God saving us, all the ways He has blessed us, how He has transformed or changed us, and all the prayers He has answered. You may be thankful, as I am, for all the prayers He has said no to. Psalm 103:1 tells us, “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.” Do not wait. Begin today to praise Him, to thank Him for all He has done in your life. Psalm 34:1 is for all Believers, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” With the endless “to do list, job and family responsibilities, take a moment(s) to step into God’s presence and tell Him how thankful you are that He has saved and changed you. Thank Him for the many blessings He has brought into your life. He deserves your honest and continual gratitude.

Today begins the seventh year of writing this blog. I am thankful for each one of you who have stayed with me in this journey. I pray it has been an encouragement to your walk with the Lord on His narrow way into His kingdom.