The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!
Devotional Thoughts
By David Wilkerson
Many Christians talk about intimacy with the Lord, about walking with him, knowing him, having fellowship with him. But we cannot have true communion with God unless we receive into our hearts the full revelation of his love, grace and mercy.
Communion with God consists of two things: receiving the love of the Father and loving him in return. Being secure in his love is the first step. You can spend hours each day in prayer telling the Lord how much you love him, but if you have not received his love, you have not had communion with him.
The psalmist encourages us: “Enter into [God’s] gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4). He goes on to show us the kind of God we are to come to: “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (verse 5).
Too many have the impression of God as a demanding figure with an angry countenance just waiting for us to fail so he can say, “I caught you!” But our heavenly Father has revealed himself as kind, tenderhearted, full of grace and mercy, anxious to lift all our cares and burdens.
The prophet Zephaniah writes about God’s incredible love to us: “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17).
You can come into his courts with praise and thanksgiving because you are so thankful for who God is. In spite of all your weaknesses and failures, your heavenly Father cares about everything you are going through.
Do not live in fear and despair, with little or no hope. Ask the Lord to help you grasp the truth of his love for you and lay hold of that love by faith.