GLORY TO GOD . . . ALWAYS!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with

praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.

-Psalm 100:4

Glory to God in the Highest!

Luke 2:14

Nothing gives more joy than the expression of gratitude. Joy is the experience of both the giver and the receiver.  The holiday calendar from November to the new year resonates with joy beginning with the giving of thanks.  The Psalmist unknowingly captures the temporal sequence of today’s calendar perfectly:  In Psalm 100:4 the gates of thanksgiving always preceded the courts of praise, and so it is for us between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Glory in the highest.  The Psalmist reflects the sequence of worship by Pilgrims to Jerusalem singing psalms of thanks to God for his provision and salvation.  Entering the temple with thanks, their joy spilled over into praise.  So does our joy from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  But then it may spill over into and throughout the New Year.

While thanksgiving and praise during Advent characterizes the season, it can be more.  We may develop the habit of giving thanks and praise to the Lord year round.  Every time God pours grace into our lives, he waits for a response.  We acknowledge his great gift of a Savior at Christmas and Easter.  Glory to God!  But God's grace is not restricted to the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The joy of thanks and praise can be habits of the heart year round in response to his year round grace.  We need only let the joy of the Lord spill over into our New Year resolutions with a commitment to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).  Thanks and glory be to God . . .  always!

Be joyful always

1 Thessalonians 5:16