Thanks Living: Act of Worship

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

Thanksgiving: in songs of public worship

Praise: the act of general, public, praise

Thankful: literally, to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; physically, especially to revere or worship (with extended hands—the open one—indicating power, means, direction, etc.)

Bless: adore with bended knees

Thanksgiving is an act of worshiping God. We are to make a point to ENTER His presence with an mind-set and heart-set of worship and adoration with gratitude. 

And not only are we to have a mind-set and heart-set, we are to actually BE thankful to God. A humble attitude of worship and joy as we express our outpouring of thankfulness to Almighty God. 

Act of Worship. 

Not just saying "thanks", but spending time in the presence of God worshiping Him with gratitude for Who He is and all He has done for me. 

Who is God? 

Thanks Living must include an act of worship of God Almighty. 

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For another post on Psalm 100:4, read Expressing Gratitude: http://createapositiveday.blogspot.com/2013/05/expressing-gratitude.html

Growing in the Knowledge

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 100. Here is what I learned.

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his[a]; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 (NIV)

Knowledge provides a good foundation. If I “know” that the Lord is God, that creates a firm foundation on which I can rest secure. Since the fact that the Lord is God is truth, that fact allows me to trust all that the Lord says in His Word. He is truth, therefore, He can only speak truth. 

Know ye that the Lord he is God - Acknowledge in every possible way, both in public and private, that Jehovah, the uncreated self-existent, and eternal Being, is Elohim, the God who is in covenant with man, to instruct, redeem, love, and make him finally happy. Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Knowledge can be gained in several ways. 1. Study, in this case studying God’s Word. 2. Experience. 3. From other’s who have studied or experienced. 

I went to college and graduated with a BS degree. I have a diploma which states that I studied and passed the requirements to be awarded that diploma. I gained the knowledge necessary to be awarded the degree. 

God doesn’t give diplomas. But I would still like to strive to master what I need to understand and know about God.... so that I can achieve a deeper understanding and appreciation for Who God is and all He does for me. 

To create a positive day, I need to continue in growing in the knowledge that the Lord is God. 

A Godly Legacy

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 100. Here is what I learned.

For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations. Psalm 100:5 (AMP)

The Lord is good. His ·love [loyalty] is forever, and his ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·goes on and on [for all generations]. Psalm 100:5 (EXB)

Legacy. God provides an everlasting legacy of faithfulness and love. Am I sharing that legacy? When my nieces and nephews look at my life, what legacy will they see? Will the focus of my legacy be honoring to God? 

What will my legacy be? My hope is that I’ll leave behind a legacy that centers on God’s love and mercy and His amazing blessings in my life. 

How do you create a legacy? 

Several books list these steps to creating a legacy: 

1. Discover and understand the possibilities.
2. Use the right resources and advisors, to build “it” using all the available tools.
3. Make sure it operates easily—don’t over complicate it.
4. Set it up so it's sustainable, and would benefit others for the long-term.
5. Be involved in it—for the “long haul”; don’t abandon it. 
6. To make your legacy have an enduring positive effect—involve others in your legacy. 

If I want my legacy to be focus on God and His goodness, I must strive to know Him and then reflect Him in my life. Each of the six steps above can and should be applied to living a godly life. If I apply each step each day, my legacy will be God honoring.

To create a positive day and build my legacy, I need to apply the steps of creating a godly legacy. 

Possessorship

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 100. Here is what I learned.

Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and ·we belong to him [or not ourselves]; we are his people, the sheep ·he tends [of his pasture]. Psalm 100:3 (EXB)

Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3 (AMP)

Ownership: legal right of possession; proprietorship, possession; use of, possessorship.

Often I like to think I’m in control of my life. However, as much as I’d like to THINK, I’m in control, I am not. For God, who created me, has ownership of me..... He should, since I am the “work of His hands” (Isaiah 64:8). 

Since God has the authority and is has rightful possessorship of me, doesn’t it make sense that I’d be willing to follow Him and His specific plan for my life? 

Possessorship. God does own me, not once but twice. He created me, and He bought me with the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. And God will not handle His “merchandise” lightly. He truly loves and cares for and about the people He created. 

I have to say, that in light of the past few weeks, this is a great comfort. Since the most recent surgery, I’ve had some additional pain, and the Doctors aren’t sure what is causing it. 

But God has complete possessorship of me, and He knows exactly what is causing the pain, and He has a He has a specific plan and purpose for me. Knowing that I am HIS, allows me to have full confidence that God is doing what He sees best to accomplish His plan. 

To create a positive day, I need to relinquish control of my life to God who ultimately His has the rightful-possessorship.

Expressing Gratitude

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 100. Here is what I learned.

Enter his gates with a song of thanksgiving. Come into his courtyards with a song of praise. Give thanks to him; praise his name. Psalm 100:4 (GW)

Go through His gates, giving thanks; walk through His courts, giving praise. Offer Him your gratitude and praise His holy name. Psalm 100:4 (VOICE)

"Be thankful unto him." Let the praise be in your heart as well as on your tongue, and let it all be for him to whom it all belongs. "And bless his name." He blessed you, bless him in return; bless his name, his character, his person. Whatever he does, be sure that you bless him for it: bless him when he takes away as well as when he gives; bless him as long as you live, under all circumstances; bless him in all his attributes, from whatever point of view you consider him. The Treasury of David

Thankful: feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

How do I express my thanks to Almighty God? 

1. In prayer. Tell God thank you. 
2. In my conversations. Let others know that I’m thankful for Who God is, and what He is doing.
3. In my life. Live a life pleasing to God. If I’m truly thankful to God, I’ll want my life to be honoring to Him. 
4. In my thoughts. What do I think of God? Remembering that my thoughts are words to God! 

Expressing gratitude to Almighty God will make each and every day a positive one! 

Make My Boss Look Good!

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 100. Here is what I learned.

Serve the Lord with joy; come before him with singing. Psalm 100:2 (EXB)

Serve: aid, help; supply; Synonyms: arrange, assist, attend to, be of assistance, be of use, care for, deal, deliver, dish up, distribute, do for, give, handle, minister to, nurse, oblige, present, provide, provision, set out, wait on, work for.

My work philosophy has always been, that it is my job to “make my boss look good”. Each aspect of the jobs I have had, would reflect on my boss. And I wanted to make sure that “my boss” always looked good. 

Since I am to do ALL things so that God received the glory, honor and praise, I should be making sure I am making my “Boss” look good! 

As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (MSG)

How do I make God “look good”? He really doesn’t NEED my help... but He allows me to work for Him and with Him to accomplish His will. My responsibility is to first and foremost give God the glory due Him. Secondly, share His love with those around me. And lastly, make sure that I’m willing to do any job that God assigns me—whether or not I “like it”. 

Each and every job that God assigns me has a specific purpose to accomplish His will and plan. I need to remember that I can’t pick and choose which jobs I want to do and which ones to ignore. Some are more pleasant than others, but each task is required to assure that God’s plan is fulfilled in it’s entirety. 

To create a positive day, I need to make sure that I am doing my best to “make my Boss look good”! That means doing each task God assigns me to the best of my ability and giving God the glory due Him.

Intimate Understanding

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The ninth of each month, I'm studying Psalm 100. Here's what Treasure I found today.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, we are his flock. Psalm 100:3 (GNT)

Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3 (AMP)

Realize that the Lord alone is God. He made us, and we are his. We are his people and the sheep in his care. Psalm 100:3 (GW)

Know: comprehend, consider, discern, discover, perceive, have respect, understand, be aware.

Know ye what God is in himself, and what he is to you. Know it; consider and apply it, then you will be more close and constant, more inward and serious, in his worship. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

Know God. How do I get to know God almighty? One place to begin is Proverbs 6:16-19., it tells me what the Lord hates. He hates these things because they are against His very nature, His character, who He is. 

There are seven things that the Lord hates and cannot tolerate: • A proud look, • a lying tongue, • hands that kill innocent people, • a mind that thinks up wicked plans, • feet that hurry off to do evil, • a witness who tells one lie after another, • and someone who stirs up trouble among friends.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (GNT)

Knowing God means that I not only learn who He is, but act on that knowledge. The more I get to know God, the richer my life will be. For as I get to know God, that knowledge (should) will change my heart, my mind, my attitude, and my actions. “Knowledge has power.” But more than that knowledge produces an intimate understanding of an Almighty God. 

Getting to know God, understanding who He is, creates a deeper love and respect for Him, and that intimate understanding of who God is creates a positive day!

Recognize True Goodness

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The ninth of each month, I'm studying Psalm 100. Here's what Treasure I found today.

The Lord is good. His love is forever, and his loyalty goes on and on. Psalm 100:5 (NCV)

Good: beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, fine, glad, graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, the best, precious.

"For the Lord is good." This sums up his character and contains a mass of reasons for praise. He is good, gracious, kind, bountiful, loving; yea, God is love. He who does not praise the good is not good himself. The kind of praise inculcated in the Psalm, viz. that of joy and gladness, is most fitly urged upon us by an argument from the goodness of God. The Treasury of David

Goodness is a very comprehensive quality. It is love, kindness, benevolence, that which leads you to wish well and to do good to those around you; and the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, because it is so full of his works and ways, which are the fruits and manifestations of his goodness. Pulpit Commentary Homiletics

God is good. God Himself is good. He is not only full of goodness, He is good. Because He is good, He does good things. However, His goodness is not based on what He does, rather what He does is because He is good. 

We often measure of the ‘goodness’ of people by how generous they are, how much they give or do for others. Yet, just because someone DOES something good, does not make them “good”.  Their motives could be very wrong.—like trying to buy favor or a position, etc. 

Yet, because God is good—first and foremost—He graciously does good. His character is that of goodness and that produces kindness. In God we can recognize true goodness!

But if God is good, why do bad things happen? The ultimate answer to that is “sin”. God gave us free-will, to make choices. And sin has consequences. When God allows bad things to happen, it could be for several reasons: 1. to judge, or bring punishment for disobedience  2. to bring glory to Himself 3. to get our attention, so that we acknowledge Who God is.  Also remember, that God may have reasons which we cannot understand.

Think of a parent/child relationship.  Many times the parent does something which the child sees as “not good” but in reality the parent knows that it is “very good”. The parent‘s action or lack of action, might be for protection, teaching, discipline, or the timing. The same is true of God, our Father. What we may think is “good” is not good at all, and what we think of as “bad” may be the best!    

God is good. That is a truth based upon God Almighty Himself. He can not change, therefore, He was, He is, and always will be good. And because He is good, He does good things for us.

What good things has God done for you lately? He’s done so much for me! 1. He provided a beautiful sunrise this morning. 2. He sent birds to sing to me this morning. 3. He made me laugh as the silly squirrels played “tag” through the snow this morning. Those are just a few things that God in His goodness, gave to me this morning. 

To create a positive day, I need to stop and recognize true goodness—God Himself; then praise God because He is good; then, I need to stop and thank God for sharing His goodness with me. 

Shout & Leap for Joy!

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 100. Here is what I learned. 

Shout triumphantly to the LORD,

all the earth.

Psalm 100:1 (HCS)

Shout happily to the LORD,

all the earth.

Psalm 100:1 (GW)

Shout: exult, triumph, leap for joy. glad shout

The word used for “shout” is one to also convey public worship with music and sacrifice. I am to be SHOUTING our praise to God, and should be doing it HAPPILY and JOYOUSLY! 

As I thought about Psalm 100:1, what I pictured was a concert. If you have ever been to a concert, then you know that audience can’t help but sing along as the performer(s) sing. At some concerts depending on your seat, it’s hard to actually hear the performer, due to the audiences “shouting” the songs. 

Even more than shouting happily at a concert, I should be shouting worship praise to my God. These are not to be just “random” shouts, but rather shouts of joy and worship directed to my Heavenly Father. Yet, in order for me to be able to shout to my God, I need to recognize Who He is, and all that He is. 

Our happy God should be worshipped by a happy people; a cheerful spirit is in keeping with his nature, his acts, and the gratitude which we should cherish for his mercies in every land Jehovah's goodness is seen, therefore in every land should he be praised. The Treasury of David

Going back to the concert venue, the performers always sing old songs mixed in with their newer songs. Why? Because the performers know that to keep the audience engaged, the audience need to know the  songs. When the audience knows the words, they can “shout” and create a fun concert. 

So, back to Psalm 100:1, if I’m to “Shout happily to the LORD” I need to KNOW God. How do I get to know God? It starts with reading His Word, the Bible. And recognizing God working in my life each and very day. 

What can I shout to God in worship and praise? 1) He is a very loving God. 2) He is a very caring God. 3) He is a holy God. 4) He is faithful. 5) He is truthful. 6) God is good—all the time! And all the time God is good! 

Those are just a few facts about God that I can shout and leap for joy about as I worship Him. 

Creating a positive day is getting to know Who God is, recognizing Him working in my life, and then SHOUTING and LEAPING for joy in praise to my awesome God!