Loving God, may this dear reader be part of those who pave the way for Your love to be felt in the heart of others; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 100: 1 On your feet now - applaud God! 2 Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. 3 Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn't make him. We're his people, his well-tended sheep. 4 Enter with the password: "Thank you!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him. 5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever. (The Message) and the more traditional NRSV: 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he that 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.
To enter special places one had to know the password. The password was the key that allowed us entrance into that desired place. Growing up I remember seeing kids that had clubs that had passwords that allowed them entrance into the clubhouse, usually an old cardboard box that had housed a refrigerator or large appliance of some sort. This newer version of the Bible gives worship a wonderful perspective; what if you and I and others, entered into worship with the words, "Thank you!" on our lips, minds, hearts, and spirits? Having served as pastor for many years, I know that "Thank you!" for some is the last thing they wanted to say on Sundays. "Entertain me!" or "Humor me!" or "Give me something to think about," was about as close as they got, then they wondered why life was so miserable for them. "Thank you!" conveys a wonderful attitude we should have towards God. "Thank you!" puts us in the right spirit to worship and receive from God. I read yesterday a pastor's words on a rock given him. It's a small, smooth rock that he carries everywhere and it's his "Thank you!" rock. When it was given, he was instructed to hold it and say, "Thank you!" to God in all circumstances, and more often than not, even for the things that were not so "Thank you!"-worthy, he has been blessed and then it was a genuine "Thank you!" lifted up.
We're days away from the national day of "Thank You!" May we already be thinking about what great and wonderful things God has done. Even when the event was not what we expected or desired, may we learn to see what we can be thankful for, and then truly use the day of Thanksgiving, to say to the One who deserves it, "Thank you!"
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You! Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request: Our oldest grandchild, Sarai Evangelina Cortez, 4, of San Marcos, TX, is undergoing surgery tomorrow, Friday in Kyle, TX. Please keep her and her parents in prayer. Yes, and for her grandpa and grandma (on both sides!). She's having her tonsils removed. Thank you!
