The Lord Himself is God

Psalm 100 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible 

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
² Serve the Lord with jubilation;
Come before Him with rejoicing.
³ Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting
And His faithfulness is to all generations.

Our serving the Lord should not be suffering or sacrifice. The psalmist says: Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with jubilation; Come before Him with rejoicing.  John 4:31-34 says: Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat something.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.”  Serving God should not be difficult or draining. Serving God, doing His will should be life giving and life sustaining. When we pray as Jesus taught us saying: “Give us this day our daily bread,” we ask not only for provision but for His will and His plan for each day, for the works that He has prepared for us. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”  It is my joy to walk and work with You. 

James 2:19 says: You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.  The psalmist says: Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  He must be both God and our Lord. As creator, God has dominion over creation. He is Lord whether we acknowledge it or not. That we are His people and the sheep of His pasture, is not that we blindly follow Him. It is that we are wholly dependent on Him. Each day, each breath is a gift from Him. Just as the shepherd carefully plans where he will take the flocks to graze, to drink and to rest, so too God carefully plans for our lives. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says:  “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Psalm 139:13-18 says: You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You When I was made in secret, And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my formless substance; And in Your book were written All the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand.  Thank You Lord. 

Hebrews 4:15-16 says: We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Today’s text says: Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courtyards with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting And His faithfulness is to all generations.  We should never approach God with a boldness rooted in arrogance or presumption, but rather with thanksgiving for His grace, His goodness and faithfulness.  Praise You Lord God.  

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with jubilation; Come before Him with rejoicing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courtyards with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting And His faithfulness is to all generations.  Amen.