I can't be the only one who's really enjoyed the weather we've had recently. I absolutely love fall and while it's still technically summer on the calendar and the weather is getting hotter again this weekend, we've felt a little hint of autumn in the air these last couple of weeks, particularly in the mornings when temperatures have been hovering around 55 degrees.
I know that everyone's different in terms of preference on the weather but for me, there's just something about that cool, crisp air that gets me motivated and excited for the day. It rejuvenates me and puts a smile on my face. And as I was reflecting on how beautiful the weather and even the sunrise was this morning, I kept thinking about a Psalm that I often quote on the radio each week. Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." I think it's so important to remind ourselves of these simple truths sometimes: like the fact that God made the day and blessed us with an opportunity to live in it.
There's another Psalm, Psalm 100 and verse 4, which tells us to "enter His gates with thanksgiving." To enter into God's gates means to enter into His presence. In the Old Testament, they would enter the tabernacle through the gate. Of course today, because of Christ, we don't have to go to the tabernacle to get ahold of God. We can access Him wherever we are through prayer. So what if we were to apply this principle to every prayer that we pray? What if, instead of just going straight into our list of requests, we started out by saying "Thank you, Lord for all that you've done for me!"
Beyond that, what if we just applied this principle to our daily lives? What if early in the morning, before our feet even hit the ground, we woke up with a heart of gratitude and began to thank God for blessing us with a new day, a new opportunity to live and serve Him, and for giving us all of the wonderful things and people He's given us?
I truly believe that if we were to apply this simple principle to our lives, we would see drastic change. After all, in Judges Chapter 20 when the Israelites were heading into battle, God told them that Judah should be the tribe to go first. Why is this important? Because Judah was the praise tribe. If we start out from a place of praise, gratitude, and thankfulness, we've already started from a place of victory.
I pray this word has blessed you and I'd encourage you to join me this Sunday morning from 9:00 to 9:30 Eastern as we dive into God's Word together on the Seeking Radio Show, on WMMG 93.5 FM.
Comments