"Priority One"
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4 NLT)
When we first come to God in prayer or worship or even in the Word, what is the first thing on our mind? If I'm honest, it's often about me. When it comes to prayer, I'm asking for what I can get from God. Not inappropriate at all considering I need so much from him & he delights to give to his children. When I come to the Word, I'm often looking for something for me. Truth, a word from him, or something that I can apply to my life. When I enter for corporate or private worship, I often have me in mind.
Psalm 100 helps us see that we should start our private & corporate time with God, focused on him. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving & his courts with praise." Do we think to thank God for what he has already given us before we start asking for something he hasn't? Do we praise him for who he is before we ask for what he has?
I think what the Lord is pressing upon my heart is that when I worship or spend time with him it should be primarily about relationship not just about receiving. In relationship there is giving & receiving. Not that I have anything to offer him. But I should enter his courts with a focus on him as God & take rest & delight in his presence. I need the reminder of who God is in relation to me before I can ever ask with any perspective on my life.
This phrase "enter his courts/gates" is actually referencing the tabernacle. It talks about what the first priority of worship should be, thanksgiving & praise. What best characterizes our priority in worship?
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