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Thankful When You Know


Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture(Psalm 100:1-3) 

            The word "thank" is not in these verses in any form, but the whole psalm is described as a "psalm for thankfulness." In these first three verses, we're told how we can be or do thankfulness: with joy and with gladness.  Oh, there are times for solemn worship, but there are times for exuberance, too. We're told that in our thankfulness we  can shout, worship, sing, and we can know. 
            Knowing is as much a part of thankfulness as worship, or singing To some extent, this is obvious. If you don't know God, you're not going to thank Him, worship Him, or sing about Him. As you come to know Him as a person, you will thank Him because of you know Him, in somewhat the same way that you might thank your neighbor or a family member because you know he did something for you. There's another kind of knowing, one that is sometimes not appreciated, that can also lead us to thankfulness: "intellectual" or "scholarly" knowledge. We're often told that knowing about God is not the same as knowing God, and it is understood that knowing God is better than knowing about God. But if you know God, and you come to know more about God, and that leads to greater thankfulness and praise. 
            I know there are lots of people who may think, "Ugh. Study theology and doctrines...no thank you!" I spent many years in that camp, but in the last ten years or so, I have been following my nose in a study of theology and apologetics. God sent me a wonderful mentor for that study. She took us on "rabbit trails" that looked at attributes of God, among other things. This led me to ask myself questions about what I was learning about God. What does it mean that God is eternal? What does it mean that God is not part of the universe? What does it mean that God is Creator? What does it mean that God is omniscient? What do each of those answers mean in turn?
         Here are few ideas, pick on and spend some time worrying it - chew on it. Walk away, come back and chew on it some more. Look at it from this angle and that. See if you can take it apart and put it back together. Even maybe, (gasp) do some research

What does it mean that God is
Love                                          One                                        True

Omniscient (knows all)             Triune                                    Peace

Omnipresent (is everywhere)    Unchanging                         Patient

Omnipotent (all powerful)          Eternal                                   Kind

Creator                                      Author                                    Good 

Judge                                        Source                                   Faithful

Savior                                        Compassionate                    Gentle

Shepherd                                   Rock                                       Humble

Healer                                        Shield                                    Self-Controlled

Wise                                           Slow to Anger                       A still, small voice

Jealous                                       Angry                                     Lion

Righteous                                   Hopeful                                  Lamb

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