We have every reason to give thanks!

Weekly Devotion

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100

It is sad how few truly know and recognize the truth expressed by this ancient psalm.

In spite of what we may think, Jehovah is God. He always has been and always will be.

He made us; we did not make ourselves, nor are we the product of some chance evolutionary process. Not only did the Almighty God create the first man and woman (Genesis 1-2), He caused each and every one of us to be conceived in our mothers' wombs and He created and formed us there (cf. Psalm 139:13-16). Our lives are not our own. We are indeed "His people and the sheep of His pasture."

We have every reason to "enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise" -- every reason to "be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." Why? Because "The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."

Think about it! Are we deserving of His care and blessing? Does He owe it to us to give us our families, our jobs, our food and our health?

When we consider how we have rebelled against Him and so often set aside His commandments, we truly deserve only His wrath and eternal punishment! Yet, He is merciful to us and continues to give us all that we need to support our bodies and lives.

In His mercy, God also gave us His own Son, Jesus Christ, to obey His commandments in our place, and to suffer and die for our sins and then rise again from the dead on the third day. For Jesus' sake, the LORD God reaches out to us in the Gospel with mercy. He graciously calls us to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and life everlasting through faith in Christ and His blood which was shed on the cross to atone for the sins of all (cf. Isaiah 55:1-7; 2 Peter 3:9; Matthew 11:28-30).

And we can be thankful, too, that "His truth endureth to all generations." His Word, the Bible, has not been lost or corrupted through the ages as some assume (cf. Matthew 24:14,35; 1 Peter 1:25). He has preserved it as a witness to all people of all time of His goodness and mercy toward us in creating and redeeming us. His Word continues, even yet today, to teach us to know and trust in the LORD God who made us and sent His Son to die for us and redeem us (cf. 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Psalm 119:105). Through the Bible, we learn who the true God is. We learn His holy will for us, and we see our utter sinfulness. But we also learn of His love and mercy toward us for the sake of Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead. We learn of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in Jesus' name (cf. Romans 1:16-17; 3:19-26).

This Thanksgiving and every day, let us do as the psalm enjoins us: "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

We thank You, dear heavenly Father, for Your goodness and mercy toward us for Jesus' sake. We praise and bless Your holy name. Amen.

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Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Religion on 11/21/2018