TOPIC:"It's Time to be Thankful"
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Psalms 100:1-5
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name" (Psalms 100:5)
The music of thanksgiving runs throughout the book of Psalms. The soul of the Psalmist sings forth in affectionate praise his adoring love to God for all of His abundant and marvelous blessings. The call to give thanks to God is found again and again throughout the book. Both praise and gratitude form the theme of great portions of the Psalms. Give ear again to the way the people of Israel were to approach the Temple to worship their God: "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His court with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name."
Can you imagine the change that would take place in our churches today if we would enter into God's presence that way? The Psalm before us was composed for use during the service of thanksgiving in the Temple. Perhaps they chanted the words of this Psalm or on joyful occasions as they moved toward their place of worship. Whatever the case, it is a Thanksgiving classic with abiding values which need to be thoroughly considered during this time of national Thanksgiving. Let us look at some of the distinctive aspects of this Psalm.
I.
First of all, as we look at this Psalm, we find the MAGNITUDE of thanksgiving. The Psalmist declared in verse 1: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands." The New International Version has it: "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth."
In the previous two Psalms the call to praise and thanksgiving by the Psalmist has been directed to Israel alone. But here in the Psalm before us it is universal. It is a call for all mankind to praise Him. It is a call for all nations to give thanks. And however much mankind may differ in complexion, in language, in customs, in religion, they should render united praise to the God of Heaven. Now the ground for such thanksgiving is because God is the Creator of us all. We derive our very breath and being from Him.
I realize, of course, that our traditional Thanksgiving Day has its roots in American history. And yet, the Psalm in verse 1 makes it clear that thanksgiving should be an international chorus, a song of praise sung by individuals of many colors and different races throughout the world. At any given moment people of all races and all lands should pause and render praise and thanksgiving to the great Creator of us all. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament puts it in these words: "How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly . . .