30 Days of Thanks & Praise! Day #10 An Attitude of Gratitude

30 Days of Thanks & Praise! - Day #10 – An Attitude of Gratitude (Psalm 100:4)

Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

As the Old Testament people of God entered the Temple, they were instructed to do so with thanksgiving. To this day, one of the besetting sins of God’s people is a lack of thanksgiving to God. Such ought always be a part of our prayer life. We are to enter into his courts with praise. As we come into the presence of the Lord, it is to be with praise. As Old Testament Israel entered the Tabernacle/Temple, they were to do so with songs of praise upon their lips. As we come into the presence of the Lord in prayer today, we ought always do so with praise to our God. It is universal and eternal. Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. The importance of thanksgiving to God is emphasized by it being repeated again. We are to bless His name.

The condition of our heart should be of great concern, because what comes out of it is going to determine how we live and act. If it is tender, we will be tender. If it is hard and cold, we will tend to be this way with people. The Bible teaches that we are the one that determines the condition of our heart. We are responsible for our attitude. The choices we make can harden us or keep us yielded to God. Hebrews 3:15, “While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” We are not to harden our hearts as God's people did in the days when they rebelled and provoked the Lord. Hebrews 4:7, “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” When the Lord speaks to us, we are not to harden our heart against Him. God's people were to enter God's courts with thanksgiving and praise. He invites us to fellowship with Him. If you are not close to the Lord, it's not God's fault. He is ever inviting us to be close to Him. He does not force Himself upon us. He wants us to make the choice to come to Him. He holds out His hand, but we must take it. In spite of all the corruption that was going on in Israel, Isaiah mentions six times that God's hand was stretched out to His people (Isaiah 5:25; 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4; 14:27).

An attitude of gratitude leads to singing, serving, submission, striding to the place of worship, and speaking forth in praise to the Lord. If you want to keep your sinfulness in check and off of your back, then be grateful for what God has done for you. When you praise God, all the world can do is listen in wonder.

In 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League Championship and the World Series. The Dodgers had a great pitcher by the name of Orel Hersheiser, a mild-looking young man whose nickname was "Bulldog" because of his fierce competitiveness. In 1988, Hersheiser won about every award a pitcher can. He pitched 63 consecutive scoreless innings, still a record. In the World Series, he started and won several games. Orel Hersheiser was the Most Valuable Player and the toast of the baseball world. He was a guest on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

​Johnny Carson was interviewing him and asked how he, Hersheiser, seemed to stay so calm, steady, and focused in those incredibly tense, pressured situations out there on the pitcher's mound, alone, with 50,000 screaming fans and millions of people watching on television. Hersheiser's answer stunned Carson. "I sing a hymn," Hersheiser said. "I sing a hymn to myself out there that we sing every Sunday in church." Carson was momentarily speechless and caught a bit off guard and then asked if Hersheiser would sing it—on NBC-TV—and he did! Amen!
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Johnny Carson said later he was moved when Orel began to sing this song. In fact, he chose this taped segment to conclude his prime-time 27th anniversary television special of the Tonight Show. When we have a praising and grateful spirit for the Lord, He has a way of putting us in situations where people will hear our praise.

“So much has been given to me that I have no time to ponder that which I don't have.”—Helen Keller
“Giving thanks is not a matter of feeling thankful, it is a matter of obedience.”—Joni Erickson Tada (She is quadriplegic.)
“The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts—nevertheless, [they] set aside a day of thanksgiving.”—H. W. Westermeyer
“Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.”—Unknown
“Giving thanks is too often demoted to a secondary place in the prayers of Christ’s people. We are quick to make our requests and slow to thank God for His answers. Because God so often answers our prayers, we come to expect it. We forget that it is only by His grace that we receive anything from Him.”—Unknown

God wants us to be grateful for all the things He has done for us. When we are ungrateful, we demonstrate our immaturity. A spirit of ingratitude is the first step toward apostasy. There may be times when you may need to offer loving, tender, constructive criticism. Immaturity, however, is demonstrated when you constantly and hatefully complain instead of compliment; when you demand instead of delivering love and thankfulness for what is done for you. We can be this way with our parents, pastor, teachers, neighbors, family members, and so on.

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