Focus: Reason For Rejoicing (Pt.2)

Text: Ps.100:4

"Enter into his gates with THANKSGIVING, and into his courts with PRAISE: be THANKFUL unto him, and BLESS his name."

The Christian Faith produces in us a grateful heart. Joy is central to our faith. You cannot have faith in Christ and not be joyful and thankful. Our God creates, rescues, sustains, secures, and supplies, and that calls for praise and thanksgiving.

Psalm 100 is a psalm of praise, and it is one so designated in the entire Psalms. People of all lands are called upon to praise God. Praise must go from personal or private to collective, from family to national, and from local to global. The whole world is God's congregation; we render congregational worship to our God. We live in God's pastureland as His sheep and Him as our Shepherd.

What is the logic behind our worship? It is because God made us, and according to the psalmist, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. He deserves our praise. He created us for His glory and for His pleasure.

We praise Him because God is good. The goodness of God is a universal reality. God does good because He is good. There is no iota of evil in God. God is absolutely good and kind. He has no evil to give to anyone. 

James tells us that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (Jam.1:17). Everything good from God who is good. The word for 'good' used here is the Greek word agathos, and it means that which is good constitutionally or intrinsically. It means that which is good from the inside out. It is not feigned or pretended goodness or merely goodness by appearance. It is not that external goodness that lacks internal correspondence or coherence. 

Goodness is God's essence. God is good not because there is money in my pocket. God is good not because I lack nothing. God is good not because I have all I want. God is good not because there are no challenges and difficulties in my life. God is good not because I have no need. God is good not because my life is perfect. 

The truth is: God is good because He cannot afford not to be good. He has in Him the DNA of goodness. Goodness is an integral part of His nature.

God is not only holy; He is good. God is good whether I believe it or not. God is good whether I know it or not. The goodness of God is evident everywhere. If you can't see or find the goodness of God in your life, then you have a bad sight or impaired vision, or you are failing to tell yourself the truth.

We praise God because He is gracious. He reigns from the throne of grace, and from His throne grace and mercy flow to His people.

We praise God because He is great. The psalmist tells us that the greatness of God is unsearchable. In terms of number or quantity, it is immense and incalculable. In terms of quality, it is unique and incomprehensible. The greatness of God is way above what my finite mind can fathom.

We praise God because He is glorious. Everywhere the glory of God shines forth. The glory of God is the God-ness of God. The majesty of God magnets and makes us marvel.

We praise God because He is generous. We serve a liberal God, a God who indeed is extremely generous. God is not only good; He is a good giver. He supplies all our need according to His riches in glory.

We praise God because He is the generational God. He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. His faithfulness is to all generations.

This our God is awesome and amazing. Let's bring our thank offerings to Him! Let's thank God for blessing us, for building us up in the faith through our life's experiences, and for making us a blessing to others. We have many reasons to rejoice in the Lord. He is enough for us.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter