Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Virtue of Praise and Thanksgiving...


“Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has 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 to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”~~~ (Psalm 100:1-5 NKJV)

This song of praise should be considered as a prophecy, and even used as a prayer, for the coming of that time when all people shall know that the Lord He is God, and shall become His worshippers, and the sheep of His pasture. Great encouragement is given us, in worshipping God, to do it cheerfully. If, when we strayed like wandering sheep, He has brought us again to His fold, we have indeed abundant cause to bless His name. The matter of praise, and the motives to it, are very important. Know ye what God is in Himself, and what He is to you. Know it; consider and apply it, then you will be more close and constant, more inward and serious, in His worship. The covenant of grace set down in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, with so many rich promises, to strengthen the faith of every weak believer, makes the matter of God's praise and of His people's joys so sure, that no matter how sad our spirits may be when we look to ourselves, yet we shall have reason to praise the LORD when we look to His goodness and mercy, and to what He has said in His word for our comfort.



Culled from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

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