God Speaks
100 A psalm of thanksgiving.
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
101 A psalm of David.
1 I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
I will praise you with songs.
2 I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
3 I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.
5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.
6 I will search for faithful people
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.
7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the Lord from their grip.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalm 100: This is one of the best-known psalms of praise to the LORD God (YHWH). These five short verses comprise a glorious chorus of united praise to the only God: Creator, Sustainer, and Master of all.
Psalm 101: Talk about “I will” statements! This psalmist [The heading indicates it was David.] is either very confident of himself or very sure of what his God is able to help him accomplish. Fr. Reardon* contends that this psalm refers to the “house rules” needed in the proper governance of a well-managed household that honors God, guided by the Savior, the Spirit, and the Scriptures.
*Christ in the Psalms by Patrick Henry Reardon, pp. 197-200.
Prayer: Dear LORD God, You are so worthy of praise from everything You have created. We all belong to You. This is Your (and my) all-inclusive, personal invitation to every person of every, age, gender, social status, era, nation, language, and people group. At some point we will all join together to worship You. We will enter Your presence with thanksgiving and Your royal courtroom with praise. We will proclaim Your goodness and faithful love throughout all generations. Until then, I will (with the aid of the Holy Spirit) be careful to lead a life of integrity, refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar and avoid associating with people who are crooked or perverse. Please help me (and others of Your people) to recognize and reject perverse ideas and stay away from every kind of evil. Keep us from participating in gossip and slander. May we lovingly confront conceit and pride. Lead us to (and to be) faithful companions. Help Your people to ferret out wickedness and free our spheres of influence from its grip. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will read Psalm 100 aloud slowly and personalize it.
- I will make sure that I personally praise the LORD the next opportunity I find (in church or out; with people I know or strangers).
- I will examine my days and see how I am doing on the “I will” statements in Psalm 101.
- I will contact and encourage a specific person I know who trying to live out and accomplish Psalm 101:8.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.