Monday, July 14, 2008

Three Invitations

“Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving.” “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.” “Today, if you hear His voice: ‘Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah.’” (Psalm 95: 1-2, 6, 7b-8 CSB)

Psalm 95 is an invitation to worship, and this invitation relates to giving thanks. We are invited to express our worship to God and our thanksgiving because of the salvation He has provided for us, because of the provisions He has supplied for us, and because of His promise of rest.

The last portion of the psalm points to a time when the people of God were not interested in giving thanks to God for what He had done for them. These were the wilderness years. The Scripture tells us that those folks hardened their hearts against God, even though they saw firsthand the works God performed in Egypt and in the desert. God said that He was disgusted with that generation for 40 years. He described them as “a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know my ways.”

Truly giving thanks to God is a way that keeps our hearts tuned to His. When we acknowledge what He has done for us, that has a way of keeping our hearts on track so that we move forward. And moving forward – both past event and future event – is what thanksgiving is about.

You might want to take a moment now to bow before the Lord to give thanks for all He has done and will do for you.

Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul; thank You Lord, for making me whole. Thank You, Lord, for giving to me, thy great salvation so full and free. Amen.

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