Psalm
100 reminds me of when my children were babies. While she was
feeding them in the high-chair, my mom would say “please” as she
brought the food near and “thank you” after they
chomped down on the baby spoon. I thought she was a little nuts, but
she told me how much we would appreciate it later when our children
used please and thank you when they spoke to us. As it turns out,
those words sound so pleasant coming from a teenager. I am happy to
do more after hearing sincere appreciation. This short psalm
encourages us to “Shout
for joy to the Lord, all the earth“.
We hear shouts of joy all around us, on payday, at sporting events,
when the bell rings at school. It is easy to recognize the sound of
joy. The writer quickly adds, “Worship
the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs“.
Some people pause at this word “worship”. It requires us to
acknowledge someone greater than ourselves. It insinuates that we
are beholden to someone else. It means we must accept that we are
not completely self-sufficient but have a focus for our thanks. Have
you learned to say thanks? He adds, “Know
that the Lord is God.
It
is He who made us, and we are His“.
I believe this is the
answer that many seek. What is the point of work, or play, or
success, or honor, or leadership or life? Perhaps it is as simple as
learning to say please and thank you to God?.
The
psalm ends with what I believe is the ultimate fulfillment. It is
our natural response to the provisions of God. “Enter
His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks
to Him and praise His name“.
We become frustrated with no outlet for our praise because I believe
we were created to worship God. He says, “For
the Lord is good and His love endures forever“.
He also reminds us, “His
faithfulness continues through all generations“.
God is faithful, will you express thanks to Him today?
I
believe that Psalm 101 is the words of a man looking back at his life
with the advantage of hindsight. Having learned lessons the hard
way, he now vows to do things differently. He sings these words for
all to hear, but directs them to God Almighty. “I
will sing of Your love and justice; to You… I will sing praise“.
I know that God’s justice is different from man’s. We seek
fairness, but God gives mercy. He adds, “I
will be careful to
lead
a blameless life“. Not
sinless, but one that attempts to honor God in word and deed. He
makes conscious decisions about how to spend his time, “I
will set before my eyes no vile thing“.
He will choose his companions with discernment, “faithless
men… will not cling to me“.
He will not be tied to those that are untrustworthy. He will keep
shady characters at a distance, “Men
of
perverse
heart shall be far from me“.
He will be aware of his reputation, “I
will have
nothing
to do with evil“. He
will not hesitate to stand up for right, “Whoever
slanders… I put to silence… and
a
proud heart…
not
endure“. Perhaps
having been burned in the past, he says, “My
eyes will be on the faithful…
they
may
dwell
with me…
blameless
will
minister to me“.
In summary, he has decided, “No
one who practices deceit will dwell in my house“.
Romans 12:21 reminds us that others will be drawn to our God through
our actions more than our words as the apostle urges “Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good“.
Thank You God for your wisdom.