Every news story can be a praise to God or a prayer. That is also true for the times someone shares a need, a mistake, or a joy with us. All of us live flawed lives in a flawed world. Sometimes we just need to remember that this life is only a small moment on the timeline of our eternal existence.

Christians are going to receive a “kingdom that cannot be shaken.” Every Christian can live each day with the promise of life eternal. We exist here on earth, but we will truly live when we get to heaven. We can enjoy this life, but our happiness here is tempered with the knowledge that all things here are temporary, even momentary. Life on earth does get shaken on a regular basis.

When our lives get difficult, sad, frustrating, or even impossibly hard, we still have a reason to offer our God “acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” God never wants us to live a day, especially a day that is difficult, without the hope of his promise. 

Heaven is a reality. It is unseen and largely unknown, but we know everything we need to know in order to want that blessing. Heaven is where we will dwell with God and only dwell with his blessings.

“Our God is a consuming fire.” God will destroy all that is temporary in this life so that we can live eternally free from everything that is difficult. God’s fire will purify us so that when we enter heaven, we are free of every sin. Everyone in heaven will live a purified life that is holy and good.

We will offer worship in heaven that is always acceptable because it will be filled with reverence and awe. For now, that kind of worship needs to be a choice, and sometimes it will be an effort. How do we offer acceptable worship now? We remember to worship God today as we will worship him eternally. We are going to receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. May our gratitude wisely model now all that it will be in heaven.

Psalm 100 should probably be read every day. Every person who devotes their life to the work of the ministry should probably memorize this psalm and think of it throughout the day. 

As a busy pastor’s wife, and now as I continue to work in full-time ministry, I am burdened by the truth of Psalm 100. Before I continue, we should hear the entire psalm.

Psalm 100 has five powerful verses. Hear the Lord speak each word to your heart.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

     Serve the Lord with gladness!

    Come into his presence with singing!

 Know that the Lord, he is God!

    It is he who made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

    and his courts with praise!

    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

 For the Lord is good;

    his steadfast love endures forever,

    and his faithfulness to all generations.”

As Christians, what is the “noise” we have shared with the world? Have they heard our joy and our gladness to serve, or something else? Do people think of us as “sheep” in God’s pasture, or are we more commonly identified by another title? When people see and hear our witness, are they aware that the Lord is good and that his love is steadfast?

Even as I write my heart is convicted. I confess that I have often served God because it was my job. I have often spoken more about the difficulties of my schedule than about how thankful I am for the privilege of my calling. I have presented God as my boss, my taskmaster, and my supervisor instead of presenting him with the gladness I feel that he is my God. Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. May all of us confess and live more wisely as we consider the truth of Psalm 100.

When God called us the “sheep of his pasture,” he wasn’t complimenting us. He was giving us a truth of Scripture. As we continue to focus on the wisdom of Psalm 100, we will grow wiser if we take every word to heart.

Compared to God, we are sheep. Some sheep are smarter than others, but no one talks about the intelligence of sheep. Sheep are born to follow, and if they follow the wrong leader they can walk over a cliff, into deep water, or just get lost and separated from the flock. Jesus left the ninety-nine to look for the one lost sheep because that was the only hope that lost sheep had. Sheep aren’t smart enough to retrace their steps and rejoin the herd.

Sheep are led to “still waters” because they are too afraid to drink from a running stream. A sheep with wet wool weighs so much that it can easily get swept away, even in a light current. Sheep have no guile because they aren’t able to think that way. Sheep have no guilt because they fall into sin instead of choosing it. 

God thinks of us as sheep. God chooses us to be the sheep of “his pasture.” God made us and has always known how badly we need a shepherd. The eternal human flaw is that we think of ourselves “more highly than [we] ought to think” (Romans 12:3). 

The most gifted and capable servants of God are those who think of themselves as “sheep.” Those are the people who will understand that God created us to “follow” and remain in “his pasture.”

Being labeled a sheep isn’t a compliment; it is an encouragement to understand our great need for a shepherd. And we have a Good Shepherd!

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. He created us to be sheep so that we would live this life following him as our Good Shepherd. We can be grateful every day for his loving guidance. 

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil that hung in front of the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. That veil was as thick as a man’s fist. The tearing of that veil was a miracle because only God could have done it. 

The words of Psalm 100 provide a picture of how we are to approach the Holy of Holies today. Today, the Dome of the Rock is constructed where it is believed the Holy of Holies originally stood. It is the most sacred place in all of Israel, which is why the Muslim people constructed the Dome there. The Muslims believe it to be the rock where Muhammad prayed and where he later ascended to heaven. The Jewish people believe it to be the rock where God stood to create the world and where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. It is the rock that was at the center of the Holy of Holies when Solomon’s temple was built and, later, King Herod's.

It is likely that Psalm 100 was recited and sung by the Jewish pilgrims as they walked up to Jerusalem. The wall surrounding Jerusalem had several gates, and the psalmist taught the pilgrims to “enter his gates with thanksgiving.” The pilgrims would walk through the temple walls and into the courts that surrounded the Holy of Holies. The psalmist taught the pilgrims to praise God as they entered the temple grounds. 

Notice that there is no instruction in the psalm for entering the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest on the Day of Atonement was allowed to enter the most sacred place on the mountain. That was God’s will until he miraculously tore the veil and invited those who would believe in Christ to enter his Presence. Hebrews 10:19–20 states, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.”

Christians can enter the gates with thanksgiving and the courts with praise. We can also enter into the holy Presence of God as we give thanks and bless the name of Jesus, whose death forever removed the veil from the Holy of Holies. 

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. We have been invited into God’s Presence to wisely offer him our sacrifice of praise. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise, and his Presence with confidence, if Jesus is your Lord and Savior.

We are surrounded with friends and family this time of year. Undoubtedly, a few of them are studying our lives to understand our faith. The holidays provide opportunities to share our faith with people we care about, and we can walk into every holiday occasion ready to honor God.

Paul told the Colossian church, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” How will your holidays change if your purpose is to honor the name of the Lord Jesus by your words and actions? Jesus would love for you to walk closely with him, allowing him to be the author of all you say and do.

Our gratitude to the Lord can be expressed in the way we treat others and through our sincere words of thanksgiving. People will be expressing the many things in their lives for which they are thankful. We can express our gratitude for God the Father, the giver of “all things.”

The most effective witness for the Lord is found in the person who speaks words of gratitude for God and then lives with deeds that reflect their close, personal relationship with God, their King. 

Christians can enter a room with the goal of honoring God, and he will provide the opportunities for us. When we do “everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,” others will know he is our Lord. We will express our thanks in both word and deed.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. How will you wisely and gratefully impact your circles this holiday season? Begin by offering your gratitude to God the Father in the name of Jesus. Your words and deeds will surely follow that praise.

Paul was grateful for the Christians in Ephesus because word of their faith in Christ Jesus had spread throughout the area. Ephesus was a seaport city and one of the most beautiful cities in the Roman Empire. Roman leaders owned beautiful beach-front property in Ephesus. The entire world came to trade their goods, shop for goods, and be entertained in the coliseum there. 

Ephesus was known for many things, including the brothels and temples to all things ungodly. The “saints” in Ephesus would have stood out in the common culture of that day. The church in Ephesus is where the apostle John took Mary, the mother of Jesus, when they fled Jerusalem. The letter indicates that the church had a diverse membership, including some from the pagan practices of the city. The church understood what it meant to offer their love and their Christian faith to all people. Paul was grateful for these Christians and expressed that in the beginning of his letter to them.

Paul prayed for them and gave thanks to God for them. These Christian believers were impacting people’s lives and their culture, one salvation at a time. The letter to the Ephesians is a great encouragement to Christians today who want to do the same.

We, like Paul, can encourage others to share their faith and stand firm in biblical truth, even when that means standing against what the culture teaches. We can live as those early saints lived, sharing the love of Christ with those who will least expect that. Everyone needs to discover their salvation and redemption through the blood of Christ.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. When we are fully grateful for our own salvation, we will want to share it with those who still need to realize they are greatly loved by their Creator. Who will hear of our wisdom and faith and offer gratitude to God for our service?

Paul’s words to the Thessalonian church seem overly optimistic at first. Paul set a very high standard for those early believers when he said, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” Even more difficult to comprehend is knowing those words were given to the first-century church in Thessalonica.

Rome was quick to take control of the city because of its beautiful location. Situated on calm gulf waters where residents had a view of Mount Olympus on clear days, the city was one of the most important sites of that day. The warm thermal springs made it a favorite destination for the wealthy and powerful. 

Paul planted churches in key areas like this one for the sake of spreading the gospel to as many as possible. Those early first-century Christians often gave up a great deal in order to follow the Christian faith. Jewish families would disown a child for becoming a Christian. The Roman marketplace was angered by the Christians who refused to purchase the idols and meat sold there. The Roman families often viewed Christians as troublemakers or traitors to Caesar because they wouldn’t worship him as a god.

It was to these Christians Paul said, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.” Paul knew what these Christians faced and wrote these words to them anyway. Paul wasn’t teaching a “Pollyanna” faith. The apostle wanted these early Christians to understand they had an important choice to make in every circumstance of their lives. They could choose God’s will in Christ Jesus, or they could choose to allow the will of others, or the will of the world, to control their joy.

Paul taught that God’s will for our lives is to choose joy regardless of our circumstances. God never wants us to step away from our ongoing walk and prayer conversation with God through his Holy Spirit. And Paul taught these early Christians to thank God for every circumstance, knowing that God can use and redeem anything for his glory.

That level of joy, prayer life, and grateful heart is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. Wisdom is choosing to live God’s will rather than conform to the will of others. A life filled with gratitude is God’s will for you right now.

Hebrews is a letter written by a Jewish Christian to Jewish Christians. Using the phrase “let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God” was natural for the author to use. In the Jewish mind, a sacrifice was offered up to God in obedience for the purpose of making one right with his God. We don’t often think of our words of praise as being a sacrifice, something that restores our relationship with our Lord.

The Jewish person was familiar with making a certain type of sacrifice for a certain reason or a specific sin. They would place their offering of grain or a small animal on the altar with the understanding that there was a “cost” for sins committed. For the sake of their souls, they were to sacrifice something of value for the sake of being made right with God.

The author of Hebrews told the first-century Jewish Christians that they should continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God. Their continual praise for God would keep them close to God. The sacrifice was not the usual grain or meat offering; instead, it was the “fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Their testimony about Christ was the sacrifice that God requested. 

Additionally, they were to lead a life that did good for others, sharing what they had with those in need. The author of Hebrews said that “such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

We are called to live with sacrificial praise to God on our lips and good deeds that share our blessings with others. When those words describe our spiritual goals, we can know that our sacrifices have been pleasing to God.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. Gaining wisdom so that we can be right with God is a sacrifice of our time and thoughts. Allowing our praise to become a continual, sacrificial offering to God is wisely living with his priorities. We can know that our sincere gratitude has been received and has pleased our Creator God.

For those who have been a Christian for many years, it’s easy to think of our faith as something that comes naturally. We can grow complacent and assume our Christian routines please God. Those assumptions are unwise and unbiblical. 

Our faith should be an effort. Our walk with God should be a continual choice throughout the day. We lull ourselves into believing that our faith comes naturally after all of these years. Our faith will usually be an unnatural choice in our lives. 

Forgiveness rarely comes naturally. Choosing to rejoice, even when life is difficult, is an unnatural decision. Giving gratitude to God when it doesn’t seem like God is responding to our prayers is a choice that is often a fight against our natural feelings.

Jesus was preaching his Sermon on the Mount when he reminded his listeners that what they valued as “treasure” indicated where their heart was. Put another way, when you choose what to value in this life, you choose what will motivate your choices. 

The very important calling for every Christian is to choose God as their King. That means we don’t have a good choice apart from obedience to his will and his word. The Sermon on the Mount is all about choosing God as our King. So often in the Christian culture, we are encouraged to make God a friend instead of our “treasure.”

Is the Creator God your treasure? Is your relationship with him more valuable than any other relationship you have? We don’t mean to elevate our loved ones to a throne, but we often do. You can know who sits on the throne of your heart if you contemplate what motivates your choices.

Be grateful that we are not responsible for our lives. Be cautious that we aren’t responsible for our choices. That is God’s position in our lives.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. How grateful are you for God’s role in your life as your King? Does that knowledge cause you to cringe a bit, or does it cause you to praise him with gratitude? Examine your thoughts and consider why you are truly grateful to God. Wisdom is being grateful for your King.

I love getting on an elevator with someone who is wearing a clean, pleasant fragrance. The aroma almost seems to lighten everyone’s mood as they travel to their floor. With equal passion I can say that I hate getting on an elevator with someone who hasn’t showered, especially if they’ve used their perfume or aftershave lavishly, hoping it will cover their odor.

Some people are known for the fragrance they wear. My mom-in-law only wore a perfume called White Shoulders. When I hugged her, she left a hint of that fragrance on me. I had always heard the power of smell is one of our strongest senses. I was standing in the frozen foods aisle a few months after my mom-in-law died when a woman walked by wearing White Shoulders. Tears sprung instantly to my eyes, and I was surprised by the power of the emotions I felt.

I like to consider that when we walk closely with the Lord, his “fragrance” lingers on us and we are able to spread the knowledge of him to those around us. I like to think that the knowledge we spread can cause others to instantly respond to moments from their past as they remember a past experience with Jesus.

We should be grateful and honored to serve Jesus in this way. We can be that fragrance in a room that causes people to be glad we have joined them. We can also use our faith to mask the truth about our lives. People can tell, and people will respond accordingly.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. Wisdom is walking so near to Christ that his fragrance lingers on us. We know him and recognize him by his fragrance. Others can know him as well when we wisely and gratefully share our knowledge of him with others.