Five Practical Ways To Give God Thanks - Psalm 100:1-5

Introduction: Psalm 100 is often celebrated as a song of thanksgiving and joy, inviting people to worship God wholeheartedly. It calls for a life characterized by gratitude, expressed in tangible and meaningful ways.

I recently read about a family that has a tradition that every night before bed, each person shares one highlight of their day and gives thanks for it. It could be something as small as a good grade or a fun conversation. This not only cultivates a spirit of gratitude but deepens their family bond and connection to God. Perhaps adopt a similar routine in your life to end your day on a note of appreciation!

In our text today I want to provide five practical ways in which we can give God thanks. Are you ready to receive them today? Here they are:

1. We Give God Thanks Through Song – 100:1

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Do you like music? I do! I have liked music ever since I was a boy in grade school, and we had a music teacher that would come into the classroom daily and she would teach us songs and have us sing as a classroom. Most were patriotic, such as:

· God Bless America

· America the Beautiful

· This Land is Your Land

Today we are blessed with a fantastic worship team here at SLBC, and they bring us so many great songs that lift us into the presence of God. Every one of us should take an active role in lifting our voices to God. It says in this verse,

Make a joyful shout to the Lord,

You and I may not have the best of voices. Last Sunday my grandson leaned over to me and said, “Sounds to me that you had a hard time hitting those high notes.” True, but I can make a “joyful shout”. And so can you.

Evangelist Billy Graham once said to his song leader, Cliff Barrows, “One day when I get to heaven I will have a great voice like you.” Cliff’s response to Billy was, “That’s what it’s going to take.”

Perhaps that is how you feel. I assure you that that is not what God hears. God inhabits the praise of his people (see Psalm 22:3).

I’ll let you in on a secret – here are all the places where I sing unto the Lord:

· In the shower.

· In my living room.

· In my car.

· In the church during the week.

· Outside in my yard while doing chores.

· On a mountain.

Are you aware that a song in the heart is a sign of being filled with the Spirit? It’s true - We read in Ephesians 5:18, to “be filled with the Spirit”, and then in verse 19 we read, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,” A song in the heart is one of three outward evidences of being filled with the Spirit. The other two are: giving thanks and submitting to one another (see Ephesians 5:18-21).

Having a song in your heart is a great way to express thanks to God. Even if it’s not perfectly in tune, the sincerity of your song is what matters.

Now, how can we put this verse into action? How about joining the worship team, participating actively in worship at church, or spending time each day listening to and singing along with worship music? Take time to create a personal “thanksgiving playlist” full of songs that remind you of God’s goodness and sing them regularly to express your gratitude.

Note: I have prepared a song list for you on our church website. Go check it out.

2. We Give God Thanks Through Service – 100:2

Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

The word “serve” means “to work, do, execute, labor, till.” I found it very interesting that this word can also be translated, as worship. Service to the Lord is an act of our worship of God. How good is that?

In Exalting Jesus in the Psalms I read, “This term serve in verse 2 is a comprehensive term in Hebrew. It’s used in the Old Testament to describe formal acts of praise in the temple, but it’s also used to describe ordinary work in Genesis 2. What does this mean? It means serving the Lord with gladness isn’t just about what we do when we gather. It’s an all-of-life worship. What you do the other six days of the week matters to God. Paul writes, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ” (Col 3:23–24). Does it change anything if you wake up tomorrow thinking, I don’t merely work for this retail store. I don’t merely work for this financial institution. I’m not just rearing children, I’m not just working toward my undergraduate degree. I’m serving the Lord Christ?”[1]

Listen. We probably will not serve unless Jesus is Lord. This is an important truth. Unless Jesus Christ is our everything, we probably will give Him a lot of lip service, but He won’t have our hearts.

As believers, we are called to serve with gladness. Christian service is not drudgery, it is an act of thanksgiving. It is a small way to give back to God for all that He has done for us.

Again, don’t miss that one of the very first ways we can serve the Lord is in singing. There is just something about the act of vocalizing our worship of God. God loves and enjoys the praise of His people (again see Psalm 22:3).

Here are some other places where we can engage in serving the Lord with gladness:

· Volunteering at a food bank.

· Volunteering at the hospital.

I have a friend who would volunteer at the hospital and would rock babies in the nursery.

Just a few weeks ago I met Norman. He was a volunteer at Kootenai Health. When I went there to see Shannon Smith, Noman guided me from the front desk, up the elevator, down through a bunch of halls, and to Shannon's room. His guidance was appreciated.

Do you remember back in the day when hospitals had Candy Stripers? Young teenage girls that helped at the hospitals?

· Helping a neighbor with snow plowing.

· Serving at a local shelter.

All these things can be ways to express thanks to God. These acts of service, when done with a joyful heart, become a testament to God’s love.

What about areas within the Church where you can serve joyfully? Here are some places where you might fit:

· Teach a Sunday school class.

· Help with Kid’s Church.

· Be a door greeter.

· Serve in the Church nursery.

· Help with administrative tasks.

· Assist with church maintenance.

· Labor in the sound room.

· Minister to widows.

Every one of us must approach service opportunities with an attitude of gratitude, acknowledging that serving others is a way of serving God. Why, even in the One Another passages says,

but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13).

3. We Give God Thanks Through Obedience – 100:3

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.

Please underline in your Bible the words.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

Recognizing this statement as TRUTH leads a Christian to a life of obedience. There is only One God, and we are not Him. Therefore, we submit our lives in obedience to His revealed will for us as outlined in the Scriptures.

Next, look at the words,

It is He who made us,

Every believer knows that there is a CREATOR, and in response to that knowledge, we simply obey.

Notice too that we read,

and not we ourselves

We did not create ourselves. Although modern science seeks to make man his own god, we who are believers know that there is only One God – God Almighty! And because we know that there is only One God, we obey Him (or at least we should).

This verse also tells us,

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

These words speak of ownership - We are His people. God owns us. The title Christian means “Christ in one”. Jesus Christ lives in us. The Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence within us. Ownership is stamped all over us. We belong to God.

We too are pictured as the sheep of His pasture. Look at the words: His people, His sheep, His pasture. It’s all His!

Most of us are aware that sheep are animals that depend on a shepherd. And sheep show gratitude by trusting and following the shepherd’s guidance – they obediently follow. Any sheep that refuses to follow the shepherd usually find themselves in trouble. Some fall into pits, some find themselves facing wolves, and some may find themselves cast down (on their back unable to turn over and get up). Cast-down sheep can die rather quickly.

Question: Would you consider yourself following the Good Shepherd in obedience?

Here are some practical steps to take:

1. Make decisions that honor God’s word.

2. Seek to have healthy relationships with others.

3. Develop a strong work ethic.

4. Treat others with respect and dignity.

5. When wrong seek forgiveness.

6. Live obediently.

Obedience reflects trust in God’s sovereignty and a deep sense of thankfulness for His guidance.

4. We Give God Thanks Through Faithfulness – 100:4

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

The word “enter” is so inviting!

When I walk up to Walmart there are two sets of doors. At the top of one set of doors, the sign reads, Enter. On the top of the second set of doors, the sign reads, Exit. I like the enter sign better, especially when I have plans to go inside.

Every one of us who walks through the doors of SLBC is entering into a building that was designed and dedicated to the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every one of us should enter with excitement and joy. We should be eager to come into this building. Anticipation ought to mount the closer we get to this building. Let there be joy and excitement!

I believe that one of the best ways for believers to give God thanks today is to NOT take the Church for granted. We show up and we get involved in our Church (Hebrews 10:25). We enter the building with a heart of thanksgiving – we have a place where we can gather and celebrate the presence of our God.

Hear me – God is faithful (see 1 Thessalonians 5:24). Would you agree with that statement? Then, what about our faithfulness? If God has been faithful to me, surely, I owe Him the same in return. Choose faithfulness!

Our faithfulness is not an option – it’s a duty and responsibility. We need to make sure that our attendance at Church is a priority. We know that Sunday is the Lord’s Day (see Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10). We are committed to that day, and we have the first day of each week calendared in.

I would also suggest that you instill the Lord’s Day into the lives of your children. Allow your children to grow up with the idea that on the first day of the week, we show up at Church. We do so because we love God. We go to Church out of love not law.

Please don’t miss that in this verse we also have the words,

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

When the Church gathers, we need to hear what people are thankful for. Do you recall what I did at the Thanksgiving Brunch before we prayed for the meal? I paused and asked if anyone would like to share what they are thankful for. What we heard from various individuals was uplifting and encouraging.

Here are a few practical suggestions:

1. Develop a daily habit of prayer and thanksgiving – Start your day out with prayer and acknowledging to God what you are thankful for – life, breath, food, job, family, etc.

2. Start a gratitude journal where you jot down things you are thankful for every day, no matter how small – water, electricity, heat, friends, etc.

3. Faithfully tell others of God’s blessings with people throughout each day – spouse, children, co-workers, acquaintances, etc.

If we would just do these three steps thanksgiving would become more of an integral part of our lives.

5. We Give God Thanks Through Proclamation – 100:5

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

The Lord Is Good

I say: The Lord is good. You respond: All the time. I say: All the time. You respond: The Lord is good.

What we just did there in that exchange was to agree with the Scripture. Verse 5 tells us,

For the Lord is good;

That is a proclamation worth proclaiming to others. We all need to tell people of the goodness of God. He is so very good.

Why is it that we have no issue in sharing with people about a new restaurant we found? We tell people that they ought to go and give it a try. Why? Because it was a good experience for us. This ought to be truer of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Where has God been good to you? Share it with others. Proclaiming God’s goodness can influence others. Rub the goodness of God onto others around you.

Share stories of God’s faithfulness with your family, friends, or coworkers. It could be through testimonies in church, social media posts highlighting what God has done, or even simple conversations. Your proclamation of God’s goodness can inspire faith and gratitude in those around you.

If there is one truth that abounds in the Scripture it is that,

His mercy is everlasting,

The mercy of God never ceases. It has been said, “Grace gives us what we don’t deserve, and mercy keeps us from getting what we do deserve.” It is worth sharing the many times where the mercy of God has shown up in my life.

Finally, in this verse, we read,

And His truth endures to all generations.

What we are reading and what you are hearing from God’s Word today is truth. God’s truth endures. People can deny it, but that doesn’t make it less true. This is a worthy proclamation! There is truth that we can take hold of that is not wishy-washy. A truth that does not change by the whims of mankind. God’s truth is certain, steadfast, and is for all generations. This is why we believers need to proclaim it to everyone – young and old. His truth is ROCK SOLID and is for every person no matter what generation they are from.

Conclusion: So, as I wrap this message up, I remind us that Psalm 100 is a call to a life filled with thanksgiving.

One guy wrote, “Thanksgiving is a good idea; Thanks living is better.”

How will we give thanks to God? Well, follow this Psalm: Do it through song, service, obedience, faithfulness, and proclamation. Each of these expressions of gratitude helps us recognize God’s enduring goodness.

Let this Psalm inspire you to live a life that continually gives thanks to God in practical and heartfelt ways. Make it a daily habit to give God thanks.

The Lord is good - All the time. All the time - The Lord is good.

[1]Platt, D., Mason, M., & Shaddix, J. (2020). Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100 (p. 443). Holman Reference.