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Thursday, March 31

Psalm 100 (NLT, from the Life Application Study Bible)

Praise and More Praise!

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
    Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Devotion

One of the shortest books in the Bible and filled with such enormous zest and dynamics for us as God’s children!  It is no wonder we as Christians (also the Jewish) frequently sing this psalm in our assemblies.  It seems most important for us each to recognize the need and, yes, the joy of Praising our Lord – always. God created us in His own image and, I think, just as we humans are excited when we are recognized by others, it must bring much joy to God too to be recognized with our exhortations of Praise and Thanks.  God needs our feedback and the Joys, Praises and Thanks are the ways we can truly worship our Lord!

For me the fullness of this Psalm has become even more important as I enjoy life daily with my wife, Nina. She is challenged by vascular dementia, thus living each day in the “here and now” with little memory left.  But she has retained something that is even better.  Every day her life is one of joy and praise for all of God’s goodness. Whether it is observing the countryside – God’s wonders – in our daily drives, listening to old music including favorite hymns or talking with strangers, her love and praise of the Lord is THE thing.  Her consistent praise of others (including the strangers) is her way too of praising the Lord!

And so perhaps we should all pause and live once in a while only in the “here and now” to more fully understand and appreciate God’s great Goodness and Mercy and to know always that He is with us.

Prayer

Dear Father, you have created each of us and given us all we have. Help us through the workings of the Holy Spirit to find more ways of showing our Praise to you in all that you have provided.  Help us also to find ways of expressing that Joy and Praise by giving to others as you have given to us.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Dwight Jasmann