Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Psalm 100 (A Psalm of Thanksgiving.) Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
HOW CAN I EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO GOD? -- SELF-LESS SERVING
I love the story of "The Little Red Hen." It's such a great lesson of working hard and showing all the work that goes into making something. I like reminding my children of the blessing of work. Whether it be planting or harvesting, grinding grain or making flour, making dough or baking bread, laziness wasn't true of the little red hen in the story, but it was of everyone who wasn't willing to serve in the work.
I've often thought about the ending of "The Little Red Hen." The lazy friends and neighbors didn't get to eat the bread because they didn't help with the work. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that, "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). What a helpful lesson for our society today! But what if the story ended that the little red hen did all the work, was denied all the help, and then SHARED her work with everyone? That would also be a powerful lesson wouldn't it? It would be a lesson about self-less serving. It would be a lesson of grace, of undeserved love towards all the friends and neighbors.
The Psalm of Thanksgiving that is Psalm 100 speaks about that kind of self-less serving. It doesn't speak at all about the kind of sin-filled, self-serving attitude we so easily find in ourselves. It speaks about the kind of love we see in Christ, a "Little Red Hen" if you will, but with an infinitely greater heart, who literally did all the work for our salvation when on the cross. Jesus, the very Bread of Life (John 6), has planted the seeds of faith, watered, grown, harvested, and prepared for us our heavenly feast with Him forever in heaven. He did this out of His self-less love and service to you and to me! How can we express our gratitude? Read Psalm 100 again!
