Today I’ve got one of the classic Thanksgiving verses for you: Psalm 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.”

 

Have you ever thought about the fact that thankfulness is a prerequisite for coming into God’s presence? We don’t deserve to be there. Before Jesus, priests were the only ones who got access to God’s presence, and offering sacrifices was their rite of passage.

 

But, because of what Jesus has done on the cross you can freely come to God. That’s a gift. And so when you come into God’s presence whether that’s in prayer or a time of worship – when you do so with thankfulness what happens is you regain a proper perspective.

 

You’re reminded of how big God is and how small you are. This sets up the rest of your time with God; in fact, it shapes how you’ll perceive the world after going from that place.

 

And then here’s the amazing thing: when you’re thankful to God, you can’t help but praise Him.

 

You see, pride comes from a posture of entitlement. But praise comes from a posture of thankfulness. Happy Thanksgiving.