Month: November 2017

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
     Serve the LORD with gladness!
          Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
          we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
     and his courts with praise!
          Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
     his steadfast love endures forever,
          and his faithfulness to all generations.   (Psalm 100:1-5)

Psalm 100 is known in Latin as the ‘Jubilate,’ which means ‘O be joyful.’ A popular and often-used psalm for public worship, it has been the basis or inspiration for many hymns and worship songs throughout the ages. It’s hard to read this psalm and not feel joyful. The first verse of this psalm is a call for all the earth to make a joyful noise to the Lord. Not just half the earth or some of the earth, but all of it. God created the entire earth and all that is in it – people, animals, plants, rocks, everything – and the entire earth should give Him praise with a joyful noise.

There are two phrases in this psalm that really stand out to me. The first is in verse 2: “Come into His presence with singing!” What this says to me is that our voices should be singing His praise before we even enter into His presence. We are not to wait for Him to show up and then start singing His praise. His praise should be on our lips way before that. In fact, His praise should always be on our lips (Psalm 34:1).

The second phrase that stands out to me is in verse 4: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!” As in the first phrase, the call here is to always have His praise in our mouths, to give Him thanks at all times. When we come together as the family of God to give Him praise, we should not wait for the pastor or worship leader to call us into praise. We should not wait for the first song to begin to thank Him for all that He is and all He has done. Praise and thanksgiving should be in our hearts and on our lips 24/7.

Praise and thanksgiving should be in our hearts and in our mouths when we wake up in the morning, when we are in our cars, when we are home or at work. That is what it means to love and worship God with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. It is living a lifestyle of praise.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The fishermen had been fishing all night in the Sea of Galilee and came up empty. They were tired and discouraged as they left the boats and began washing their nets. As they did this, a man stepped into one of the boats and asked its owner, Simon, to push it out into the water. Simon had heard about this man, Jesus, from his brother Andrew, so he pushed the boat out into the water. Jesus then sat down in the boat and began to teach the crowd that had assembled on the shore.

When He finished speaking, Jesus told Simon to take the boat out deeper and let down the nets in order to catch some fish. Wearily, Simon told Jesus that they had worked hard all night and caught nothing. As an experienced fisherman, Simon knew that, if they did not catch any fish at night, the chance of catching any in daylight was slim to none. But, out of respect, Simon looked at Jesus and said, “But, if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.” (Luke 5:1-5)

Have you ever been in a position like the one Simon was in? Maybe you’ve been praying for a family member, a friend, or a co-worker to come into a relationship with the Lord. Perhaps you have even talked to that person and received a negative response. Maybe you’ve tried more than once to talk to him or her about Jesus and have come up empty. You’re tired and discouraged and now, as you continue to pray, you hear the Holy Spirit whispering to you, “Throw out the net again.”

When you hear that request from the Holy Spirit, what is your response? You may think, “What’s the use? I have worked hard at bringing him to you, but he just doesn’t want to hear it.” You may say, “Lord, I’ve tried and tried with no luck. Maybe someone else should do it.” The better response is to be like Peter and say, “Lord, I’ve tried with no success. But, if you say so, I will try again.”

When Simon threw out the nets again, the results were amazing. The nets were so full of fish that they began to tear (Luke 5:6). Jesus knew that the fish were there just waiting to be caught in Simon’s nets. The Holy Spirit knows when those you are praying for are ready to hear the Good News of salvation through Jesus. So, when He gives you the prompting, it’s time to push your boat out deeper and throw out the net again. The response may be more than you ever could have hoped for.

From 1957 to 1963, a game show called Who Do You Trust? aired on ABC.  Hosted by Johnny Carson and emceed by Ed McMahon until they left for The Tonight Show, this game was produced live at The Little Theater on 44th Street in New York City. In the game, three couples competed against each other in a quiz. Johnny Carson would give the male contestant of the couple the category of the question that would be asked and the man would then have to make a decision. Would he answer the question on his own, trusting in his ability to answer it, or would he trust the woman to answer it.

In life, when faced with decisions or difficulties, we have a similar choice to make. We can choose to trust in man, to trust in ourselves, or we can choose to trust in God. God’s Word tells us that when we trust in man, when we trust in our own strength, we are cursed and our hearts are turned from God (Jeremiah 17:5). When we trust in our own strength, we are like a shrub that grows in the desert, withering away in the wilderness (Jeremiah 17:6). On the other hand, when we choose to trust in God, we are blessed (Jeremiah 17:7).

Trusting in God rather than in ourselves makes us like a tree that is planted by a river or stream. As the tree becomes rooted in the life-giving water of the river or stream, we become rooted in God and receive His living water. A tree planted by water does not need to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves will remain green, it will be free from drought, and will continue to bear fruit. When we are rooted in God, we do not need to fear the heat of life’s troubles. The droughts of life will not touch us and we will continue to prosper and bear fruit in our lives (Jeremiah 17:8).

The question is, “Who do you trust?” The choice is ours to make, trust in man, in ourselves, or trust in God. From where I stand, the choice is easy.