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Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:4‭-‬5 KJV

Context:

The whole chapter 100 of Psalms is dedicated to the praise of God. It emphasizes the attitude with which God expects all who seek to come near must have: joy. You do not get it by paying a huge sum of money for it; you cannot get it by killing for it, or robbing others who have it. This is not something you can labour for by virtue of strength, network, net worth or intelligence; it is the product and evidence of the indwelling presence of God. Joy is part of the package called the FRUIT, not fruits of the Holy Spirit. You cannot pick and choose that which catches your fancy; when you get God, you get all that He is. If you do not have Him, it really does not matter what else you have. 

We have a God here who seeks men who will seek him, not for what they can get from him, but who know and understand who he is and what he can do. A personal question for me: have I met this God, or have I been following the wrong version? This is a God who introduces himself as 'Spirit' and all who will worship him must do so in spirit and in truth. Flesh cannot understand this need to fully submit to a God that is not visible, yet is all-powerful and omnipresent. The human nature in us seeks independence and self-promotion, but if my life will make any sense, it has to discover the God who owns it and then live life under the authority, control and direction of this God. I ask myself again: have I met this God?

Message and Response:

Think of a King in whose domain you dwell and whose authority you have accepted. Would you not do all that this king demands, if you wish to retain your residential status? If he lays out the terms and conditions for access into His presence, and you know that access gives you privileges and blessings you could not get otherwise;; would you not be quick to align with the terms and conditions? If this applies to a mortal, earthly king, imagine how much more relevant it is for an immortal, heavenly king, in whose hands are the riches and treasures of the whole world. If an earthly king can demand such total obedience, how can we imagine that it will be different for our heavenly king? 

He lays out the terms of access: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. I do not rush in like an armed robber or a stranger with no knowledge of the customs and traditions of the land I am seeking access into. I do not come in like an ungrateful child, only after the tokens of the kingdom, and not the joy of a personal knowledge of the king and ruler of the kingdom whose riches I am seeking to enjoy. I come into his gates with the attitude that guarantees that I will be welcomed in. I come into his courts with a heart that is tuned to the acknowledgement of his power, might, grace and awesome mercy. My heart bursts with thanksgiving because it knows all that it has received in the past and is still receiving.  

When I read the words: Bless His name - I could almost wonder how a mortal man can bless an immortal God, but then I realise that blessing God can only proceed out of a heart that is fully aware of the fact that all it is and has comes from this same God. I cannot out-give God; all that I already have or plan for can only come from him. My blessing God is adoring, worshipping and giving him all the praise and appreciation that is due Him. I acknowledge my helplessness in the face of the awesome power of God. I confess my inabilities, shortcomings and failures, and receive the enablement that only He can provide. 

The reasons for all I have been asked to do are also laid out in today's extract: For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting. By default, God is good. That is his nature. He does not do evil, even if the effects and consequences of my sin lead to evil. He cannot produce that which does not align with his nature, even though he may allow evil to happen, as a result of the exercise of my own freewill. His nature is mercy, and his mercy is eternal, just like he is. The problem is that, for mortal men, mercy expires. It was mercy that brought Abraham to the hall of faith, and it is mercy that has brought me also into faith. It is not about what I did to earn it, but all about what God did to bring me in. He has brought me in; I have the responsibility to embrace that mercy to the end, so I can get all that his mercy intends for me. 

His truth endureth to all generations. Of course, He is also the Way, the Truth and the Life. Anyone who makes any claim to any of these would be a liar. Truth is also his nature, and as it has been established earlier, God cannot produce what is against his nature. He does not lie. If he calls something a sin, no amount of bleach or human opinion and support can whitewash it. If he desires to bless a man who walks in his ways, no human opposition or support can influence him to change his mind. From generation to generation, mortal man has learnt that God's standards do not slip. Dispensations may differ, and the application and access to grace may mean different things to different people in different generations, but one thing is quite clear: the standards of God are like him: immovable and unchangeable. That is why he must be feared. That is why he can be trusted. That is why his judgement will always be based on truth, not deception. 

Now that I know who this God is, and how he desires to be approached, my best offering is to live in line with his expectations. If I have now known who this God, it will be folly to persist in my past ways which brought no profit to me. Ignorance may have worked at a time, but now, God makes himself known by the things that are happening around us. Financial structures, long-term plans and well laid out and fool-proof measures all fail; only God remains the same forever: faithful and true to his word. He can be trusted; I am safe with him. Does He know me as his own? Am I willing to pay the price for permanent access to his residence? The benefits of that access are eternal; there will be no regrets for the man who finds God. His time of favour is here.