Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
It happens twice a year at our house, that dreaded time when I’m put in the role of “etiquette” policeman. You know what I’m talking about, the thank you’s that go out after birthdays and holidays. It is always amazing to me that the same children who look forward anxiously to every present they receive suddenly find themselves too busy to stop and express their thanks to their benefactors. I am secure in the knowledge that diligence will pay off and these reluctant disciples of etiquette will one day have their own children to train. But yet, how many times do we look forward to the blessings of God, and when enjoying the fruit of our prayers forget to express our gratitude? Is it any wonder our worship is a little stilted when we haven’t entered His gates with our hearts overflowing with thanksgiving? When we begin to realize everything we do have and not become obsessed with what we don’t have, we can realize just how richly we have been blessed.
Terri Pettyjohn is a regular contributor to ExperiencingWorship.com Her devotionals and Women in Worship articles are a favorite of many of our users as she seeks to touch the hearts of others through her writing. Terri currently lives in Farmington, NM where she is pursuing a career in free-lance writing. She is an attender of Pinon Hills Community Church and volunteers on a regular basis in the Worship Arts Ministry. When she is not busy there she is investing in the lives of her grandchildren and others.