Monday Reflection \u2013 August 31, 2020
Make a Joyful Shout!<\/p>\n\n\n
Know that the Lord\u00a0is God. \u00a0It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3<\/p>\n\n\n
Today\u2019s Psalm is yet another well-known and beloved one. I recall repeating this Psalm regularly in Sunday School and Primary School. Psalm 100 is simply titled,\u00a0\u2018A Psalm of Thanksgiving\u2019 and it is the only Psalm in the collection to bear this title. It speaks of an invitation to the whole earth to know and to worship God.\u00a0For G. Campbell Morgan, Psalm 100 is jubilant with confidence for the whole earth, as it contemplates the glory of that earth, when all its people are submitted to the reign of Jehovah.<\/p>\n\n\n
The Psalmist begins by summoning all people from everywhere to make a joyful shout to the Lord; to serve God with gladness; and to come before his presence with singing. Unlike previous Psalms,\u00a0Psalm 100\u00a0does not begin with a declaration of God\u2019s sovereignty or character. Rather, it begins with the simple and direct exhortation to\u00a0all to praise God. Nations beyond Israel\u2019s borders should give a joyful shout. The nations must recognize who the Lord is. He is Yahweh, by whose grace and blessings his people exist. All should join in singing in God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n\n\n
David does not just summon the whole earth to praise God, but provides the reason. God is our Creator and Shepherd. So he says in today\u2019s Watchword, \u201cKnow that the Lord\u00a0is God. \u00a0It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.\u201d The praise offered to God from his people and all\u00a0lands\u00a0should be mindful. We have many reasons to worship Yahweh, and those reasons begin with the recognition that\u00a0he is God. Our praise should be grounded in our recognition of who God is; such knowledge ought to be a pre-requisite of our praise. We must know and be convinced of who God is.<\/p>\n\n\n
The next reason to worship God is because he has made us; he is to be recognized for his work as\u00a0Creator. The idea that we could make\u00a0ourselves\u00a0is absurd, and we should worship the one\u00a0who has made us. This implies that God has every right over us, thus we should willingly give him his due. On another level, believers have a second and greater reason for praise for we are new creatures in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).<\/p>\n\n\n
Yet another reason to worship God is because we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. God has chosen us to be his people\u00a0and he cares for us as\u00a0the sheep of his pasture. Though wayward we often are, God treats us as his own, his beloved. Our Great Shepherd paid the ultimate sacrifice by rescuing and redeeming us through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are priviledged not just to be created by God, but to be called his own. These are sufficient reasons to raise a song of praise and make a joyful shout. Hallelujah!!!<\/p>\n\n\n
Jermaine Gibson\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monday Reflection \u2013 August 31, 2020 Make a Joyful Shout! Know that the Lord\u00a0is God. \u00a0It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 Today\u2019s Psalm is yet another well-known and\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","watchword_topic":[13],"class_list":["post-307","watchword","type-watchword","status-publish","hentry","watchword_topic-christian-living"],"yoast_head":"\n