You Got A Reason To Be Thankful

Happy Sunday!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "You Got A Reason To Be Thankful!" He used Psalm 100 as his reference scripture.

If you are like me, you memorized this Scripture in Sunday School as a child. However, I always enjoy reading scriptures in other translations.

The Easy-To-Read Version says, "Earth, sing to the Lord! Be happy as you serve the Lord! Come before him with happy songs! Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep he takes care of. Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him. Enter his courtyards with songs of praise.
Honor him and bless his name. The Lord is good! There is no end to his faithful love. We can trust him forever and ever!"
The Message Translation says, "On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep. Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him. For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever."

The Voice Translations says, "Raise your voices; make a beautiful noise to the Eternal, all the earth. Serve the Eternal gladly; enter into His presence singing songs of joy! Know this: the Eternal One Himself is the True God. He is the One who made us; we have not made ourselves; we are His people, like sheep grazing in His fields. Go through His gates, giving thanks; walk through His courts, giving praise. Offer Him your gratitude and praise His holy name. Because the Eternal is good, His loyal love and mercy will never end, and His truth will last throughout all generations."

We are not asked to make a joyful noise, we are commanded to do it! We are commanded to come before God with joy. Joy differs from happiness, in that happiness depends on what is happening. We can have joy in the midst of trying circumstances. The scripture doesn't say come with a joyful noise when everything is going well, it just says come. Come to God acknowledging that he is God! He is worthy of our praise because he is good! He made us, he keeps us, he protects us, and we should be thankful!

Bishop said, "There is nothing worse than an ungrateful child." As soon as he said it I thought of the movie, "Imitation of Life". If you haven't seen it put it on your bucket list. It gives an example of an ungrateful child and the sad consequences. God is our heavenly father. He loves and cares for us dearly. We must take time to say, "Thank You!" Not just once a year, but every day! Just watch the news and you will see how much we have to be grateful for. Earthquakes, tsunamis, super storms, tornados, fires, floods, murders, thefts, accidents, and illnesses are just a few of the headlines. If you are able to read this e-mail, you are blessed more than so many in the world.

You Got A Reason To Be Thankful!

Love and Prayers, Cynthia

P.S. - Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the days ahead and remember to be thankful, grateful, and appreciative every day!