Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
– Psalm 100:4
I’m a huge fan of the Little Rascals - both the 1994 movie and the old 1920s TV series. The Little Rascals had a club – the He-Man Woman Haters Club. It was a club for some of the boys in the neighborhood. There were certain rules the boys had to abide by and follow. If not, there were repercussions. There’s a scene in the 1994 movie that always makes me giggle. Spanky, their leader, called an emergency meeting and you saw all the boys pile into their clubhouse. One of the guys stood outside the door, making sure all the boys gave the “hi sign” before they were allowed to enter the clubhouse. It was simply putting their hand underneath their chin and waving their fingers. I will admit, I’ve given the “hi sign” numerous times over the years (usually to little kids).
But here’s a thought. What if we viewed “thanksgiving” as our “hi sign” to enter the presence of God? “Enter his gates with thanksgiving…” What if we thought of “thank you” as our password to come before the Lord? How different would our prayers and perspectives be? I know I tend to go before the Lord with a laundry list of requests, but what if I came to him first with a simple “thank you”? This is the God of the universe and there are numerous things I should be thankful for.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you. Thank you for all that you have done for me and all that you allow me to do. Thank you for waking me up this morning and for the breath I take. Thank you, Lord, thank you.
Question:
What would it look like for you to view “thank you” as your password to enter God’s presence?
Challenge:
Before you pray for anything, thank God for something.
Outreach Challenge:
When you’re talking with someone, ask them the question: Who do you say Jesus is? (Or some variation of this question) This could be a good question for both believers and nonbelievers. Who knows where the conversation will go!
