Be Thankful on the Way In

Have you ever wondered why we give thanks before we eat? We're presuming the food is good. We're trusting that the turkey thawed long enough and cooked hot enough. We're thankful for food we haven't tasted yet.

That's how Psalm 100 works too:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4)

Thanksgiving happens at the gate. A gate means there's a wall, and on the other side of that wall is the court. So thanksgiving comes before we're in the presence of God, not only after. It presumes His goodness ahead of time.

Thankful before the altar

Think about how worship worked at the tabernacle and the temple. You brought a lamb and handed it to a priest. He took it to the altar, and the smoke rose to heaven as a picture of the sacrifice for sin. Then the priest went to the laver, a large basin of water, and washed the blood from his hands. Beyond that was the holy place, with the altar of incense: sweet, beautiful, worshipful.

We tend to think, "If I could just get to a place of worship, then I'd be thankful." Or, "If I could just get rid of the sin and the problems in my life, then I'd be thankful." Or, "If I could just be saved from hell, that would make me thankful."

But God asked His people to be thankful on the way in. You'd be carrying a whole year's worth of lies, cheating, and impure thoughts. You hand that lamb over, and you walk away unburdened. But before you ever got to the altar, you came through the gate thankful, in anticipation.

That's faith. We come believing that Jesus is the Lamb of God, that His sacrifice is sufficient, and that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. Forgiveness will certainly make you feel thankful, but you can be thankful ahead of time, because you trust Him.

So here's the first question: Have you come to Christ by faith? Have you trusted Him as your salvation?

Past the gatekeepers

There are always gatekeepers. Commentator John Phillips tells about a little boy crying outside the palace because he wanted to see the king. A man stopped, asked what was wrong, took him by the hand, and walked him right past the guards, through the gate, and straight into the throne room. Who was that man? The Prince of Wales. He had access because he was the king's son.

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh... (Hebrews 10:19-20)

We come to the Father through the Son. Jesus said no one takes His life from Him; He lays it down. He's both the priest and the sacrifice, and He brings us back into relationship with our Creator. Spurgeon said we are His three ways: the God who made us, the Christ who saved us, and the Holy Spirit who preserves us.

A posture, not a holiday

That changes our posture. He's the giver, and we're the receivers.

Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. (Psalm 50:14)

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me... (Psalm 50:23)

And it doesn't wait for a date on the calendar. Aaron was told to burn incense every morning:

...a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. (Exodus 30:8)

It's not the fourth Thursday of November. It's every morning. Enjoy Thursday. Have fun with it. But if you want to live a thankful life, it has to last at least until Monday, because Monday is when life starts all over again. If your job is making other people happy all day, how do you stay thankful on a Monday? You don't base it on how your week is going.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. (Hebrews 13:15)

Here's your challenge for this week: before you ask God for anything, thank Him first. Start your prayers at the gate. Thank Him for who He is and what Jesus has done before you get to your list, and see how it changes the way you walk into your day.