The Christian's Heart is a Thankful Heart

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Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
 
As we come upon the annual celebration of Fall's main holiday of Thanksgiving, for many of us we begin to reflect on those things for which we are most thankful for. Usually, there are common things which people will note, such as family, friends, and life in general. While it is to be recognized that such are blessings from God, Christians are also called to be thankful for other things which ought to precede those wonderful blessings of family and friends, with one of those as thankfulness for God being who He is as revealed to us through His Word. In this popular psalm, the universal nature of God's kingship is strongly emphasized; verses 1-3 is a call to praise the Lord and verses 4-5 is a call to thank the Lord.
 
Why should a Christian make a joyful noise to the Lord? A simple answer to this is that salvation belongs to God alone and is not something that the Christian can nullify or mess up (Ps. 3:8; 37:39; Is. 33:6; Lam. 3:26; Jon. 2:9; Rev. 7:10). Why should a Christian serve the Lord with gladness? Because He has sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be his Redeemer who sits enthroned in heaven and is the propitiation for his sins (Heb. 12:2; 1 John 4:10). Why should a Christian acknowledge his relationship with God? Because His sheep hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27). Why should a Christian enter His gates with thanksgiving? Because the blood of Christ is powerful enough to cover all of his sins and therefore enable him to serve the Lord (Heb. 9:14). Why should a Christian acknowledge God's goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness? Because He loved him first and chose him to be part of a holy and royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 4:19).
 
A Christian's heart is a thankful heart. The fruit of thanksgiving springs forth when a Christian recognizes and understands the depth of his sinfulness in the presence of a holy and just God; the more that he will recognize his need to confess his sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as his advocate to the Father, the more reason he has to be thankful for His mercy and grace. It is a splendid feeling to know that God has His children in His hands; it is, however, a terrifying thought for those with an unbelieving heart (Heb. 3:12; 10:31).
 
I encourage you to take the time to hallow God's name (Matt. 6:9) because He is righteous (2 Chron. 12:6; Ps. 129:4) and His steadfast loves endures forever (Ps. 100:5).

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