Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving

Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Psalm 100:4:  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  

If we desire a closer relationship with our Lord, thanksgiving is the first step.

The Israelites murmured in the wilderness even though the Lord had brought them through the Red Sea, guided them by day and by night, supplied manna and fresh water and kept their shoes from wearing out.  

As a society, we have no grounds for throwing self-righteous stones at the Israelites.  I don’t recall any scriptures that tell us to overlook our blessings and wallow in what we consider to be our misery.  Complaining has, unfortunately, become a cultural trait. 

God is calling us out of that complaining and into more than occasional thanksgiving.  He is calling us to a lifestyle of thanksgiving and praise. "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for praise is comely for the upright.  Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with the psaltry and an instrument of ten strings.  Sing unto Him a new song" (Psalm 33:1-3).

Praise is “comely”?  Yes, the Word of God says that we are more attractive when we are praising.  Furthermore, scientific research indicates that not only are we more attractive when we are overflowing with praise, we are both physically and emotionally healthier.  

 “New research shows that practicing gratitude may be the fastest single pathway to happiness, health, long life, and prosperity. In a remarkable study performed by Dr. Emmons, people who kept a gratitude journal for just 3 weeks measured 25% higher on life satisfaction afterwards. They exercised more, drank alcohol less, and their families and friends noticed that they were nicer to be around. And the effects lasted for several months beyond the initial 3 week study.”  Read the entire article at: http://www.happylifeu.com/Attitude-of-Gratitude.html

 A lifestyle of thanksgiving is key to our relationship with our Lord.  It is thanksgiving and praise that usher us into His presence.  Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.”

As we come before Him in thanksgiving, we can lay all our cares and petitions at His feet knowing that He is our provision, our hope, our peace.  Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

We often hear Christians say that we must be thankful for all things.  That is a misquotation of 1 Thessalonians 5:18. The scripture says, “in all things be thankful; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  It is not the will of God that we be thankful for disease, devastation, and despair because those things are not good gifts which come from above from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). However, we are to be thankful in the midst of and in spite of those things.  God is with us and in Christ we have victory over death itself.  

 Let’s be thankful as for the creative power of the One who created the universe and holds it in the palm of His hand.   Let’s rejoice in the mercy and resources of the One who supplies our daily  bread and loves us with agape love. More than anything else, praise Father God for sending Jesus to pay the price for our sins and for the Holy Spirit Who indwells all believers.

“Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given
Jesus Christ His Son”—Henry Smith