Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 180 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

A Thankful Servant Part 2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 180 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at the first part of the Psalm of Thanksgiving, Psalm 100. Today we will explore part 2 of Psalms 100. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is the day after Thanksgiving, and it is my hope that it was a blessed time of thankfulness for you. Let us not forget to be thankful every day.

We are continuing our Trek today and tomorrow as we explore how to become a thankful servant as we once again look closely at the Psalm of Thanksgiving, which is Psalms 100.  Our trail for today is…

A Thankful Servant Part 2

Psalm 100:2 tells us to “Worship the Lord with gladness!” We come before God as a lowly but glad servant, offering up what are our logical and reasonable acts of worship.

The unspiritual man cannot understand this at all! For him to worship Christ seems foolish and a terrible imposition. Worshipping God is contrary to man’s proud, fallen nature. In the flesh, we stubbornly refuse to give God the worship and service He deserves. Man’s fallen nature begrudges service to anyone other than to themselves.

But, having been subdued by Christ’s overwhelming grace, we are radically transformed! Now, we want to serve God, even to the extent of what others may perceive as a loss. We do it gladly with a sense of joy and gladness.

A story that I read emphasizes this…Ten years ago, Nigerian Christians could expect a major attack against them about once every year by Muslims. Then the attacks began to occur monthly. In the past year, attacks have occurred nearly every other week. Today, simply attending church on Sunday puts a believer at risk, and those who actively tell Muslims about Christ are at greater risk still. Evangelist Johnson was seriously injured in a bomb explosion on his way to a Christian meeting. But Johnson exemplifies the persevering spirit of Nigerian believers. While many of these Christians could leave, they feel called to reach their Muslim neighbors. As Johnson says, “If I didn’t love my work, if I didn’t love Jesus, I would give up.”

Christians gladly serve and suffer because they know they have been saved by God’s own suffering servant Jesus! Serving God is not always easy by any means and may cost you dearly in some parts of the world. But true and lasting joy comes from serving King Jesus and sensing His delight. A Christian is one who serves with genuine humility, mixed with unspeakable joy! 1 Peter 1:8 says, “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”

The Psalm continues and urges us to “Come before him, singing with joy.” He is the Great King of all the earth, the infinite and Holy Creator of the universe, and you are commanded to appear before him. But, when you come, come with a voice of victory, a shout of triumph and a joyous song! There is no moping in the King’s presence for to see him is to love him and rejoice in Him. Psalm 100:4 states, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Imagine receiving an invitation to meet someone that you have admired all your life. Who would that be? Maybe it’s a sports hero, a military leader, a captain of industry, or an admired political or spiritual leader? How would you prepare yourself for the meeting? What would your demeanor be as you come to pay your respects? Now multiply that by infinity! God deserves infinitely more respect and thanks than any person in your life. Psalm 35:10 says, “With every bone in my body I will praise him: ‘Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?’”

Is our Holy, Triune God the absolute delight of your life? Our worship ought to reflect a humble, heartfelt, childlike love, mixed with awe and respect! Are you embarrassed to be known as a passionate worshipper of Christ?

As always, we need to be wise and careful not to judge another person’s worship! In 2 Samuel 6, we read the account of David, a man after God’s own heart, who danced before the LORD with all his might as the ark of the covenant was being brought into Jerusalem. David’s wife, Michal, saw him dancing and “she was filled contempt for him.” She even belittled him saying, “’How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”  David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!’ So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.”

Be a worshipper like David, not a barren critic like Michal.

2. Your Thank Offerings Must be Intelligent

Psalm 100:3 states, “Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his.  We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

Matthew Henry said, “Ignorance is not the mother of devotion, but it is the mother of superstition. True knowledge is the mother and the nurse of piety.”

Intelligent worship recognizes the obvious. Satan will do his best to keep you from seeing the truth about God. He will get you debating about incidental things as he did the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. They loved to argue about the precise tithing of your garden, the width of the border on your garments, whether you worship on one hill or another…As the clouds cover the glorious peaks of the Alps, so we often are left to debate the lower things.

The glorious truth of the nature of God is obscured in the mind that has not been illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Yahweh is to be worshiped simply because “He Is God.” He is the true and living, omnipotent Lord of the universe. In Hebrew the word for God, “Elohim,” is comprehended as the highest, most weighty, most righteous reasons for a man to yield up his entire life to the divine obedience. Yet, the proud unbeliever, whom the Bible calls a fool, refuses to acknowledge God! Romans 1:21 says, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”

Pharaoh is the prime exemplar of all the foolish enemies of God. Moses, an old man who had no recognized earthly power, came to Pharaoh, the king of the superpower of that day saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go…’” Pharaoh didn’t fully appreciate the spiritual basis on which Moses was acting. They each stood their ground… “’Is that so?’ retorted Pharaoh. ‘And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.’”

 

We all know how that conflict eventually ended. Egypt was devastated with plagues and was plundered by the departing Israelites. Pharaoh died with his army in the depths of the Red Sea. This is a prophetic picture of the absolute victory which will surely come in all conflicts God has with his rebellious creatures. Be smart, recognize the obvious.

As we continue this week of Thanksgiving, let us acknowledge that the Lord is God!  Happy Thanksgiving!

As we continue our exploration of Psalm 100, which is the Psalm of Thanksgiving, we are learning to be a thankful servant to the One from whom all blessings flow. As you have the opportunity, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we look at the Psalm of Thanksgiving in Psalms 100 part 3.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person, so they can come along with us each day.

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Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!