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I do not think I will ever forget
1 Thessalonians 5:18. “In everything
give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” When I was in the first grade attending a
Christian school, my mother and
I made up little songs to go with memory verses. For some reason I still know the song that went
with this
verse. Though I have carried these words
in my heart for decades, I don’t think
I was ever struck with their magnitude until taking a worship course in
seminary. There
Michael Coleman
presented his lectures on the protocol of worship based on Psalm 100. The thesis was this:
All of creation was designed for manifold
purposes, but the underlying purpose that seems to cross all genus, species,
rock and plant is the task of glorifying our creator. We, unlike
rocks and plants, are called to
do this through worship in
Spirit and truth. But where do we begin?
Psalm 100 gives us a key. We “Enter His gates with thanksgiving.” And 1 Thes. 5:18 gives us an even larger view
concerning thanksgiving. Thankfulness is part of
God’s very will for
mankind. This is not to be taken
lightly. If one is performing every act
of ministry, yet is lacking a thankful heart then they are expressly out of
God’s will. Beyond that, if Psalm 100
does indicate a protocol for worship then we must enter into worship through
thanksgiving and we cannot worship without it.
Furthermore, Romans 1 gives us a picture of a people who progressed down
a path of sin that is listed in
verses 26-32. This horrible list of
abominations started, according to verse 21 with thanklessness! Are
you catching all of this?
Thankfulness is not simply an issue of
common courtesy. It is one of the most
dynamic practical ways that we express faith in our God. We can talk of faith until the cows come
home, but to be thankful in everything (not for everything)
proves that faith. To be thankful does not necessarily mean that
one must be jubilant. In the midst of
the pain of loss such joy would be ridiculous.
God’s Word allows that there is a time to mourn as well as a time to
celebrate. But thankfulness can come in the
form of a quiet acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty. To lean on God when all is well is of little
consequence. To acknowledge that He is
good when we have all that we desire is easy.
But to know that those characteristics have not changed in the slightest
when the storms of life rage, that is living in faith.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts
with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4
Psalm 100
I Come
into this place,
Just a
pilgrim who longs to seek your face
But how
do I come through to courts of praise?
It’s only
through doors of thanks
CHORUS
So I am
thankful for what You have done
And I am
thankful for the cross of Your Son
And I
will turn to You, whether in strife or in rest
And I
will offer up a sacrifice of thankfulness to You
How can I
praise and thank,
When my
heart’s torn, and my soul aches
It’s in
these times You call for praise
For by
this I live by faith
CHORUS
Give
thanks and bless His name (I’ll
give thanks and bless Your name)
For the
Lord is Good (For You are good)
His Love
endures forever (Your love endures forever)
His
faithfulness reaches me (Your faithfulness reaches me)
CHORUS
(Special Thanks to Ron Giese and Michael Coleman for their inspiration and wisdom as professors for God.)
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