Say the Password 

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 100:4 

When I was a kid, my brother and I built a fort in our backyard. It may have been thrown together with discarded pallets and old siding, but to us it was as elaborate as the Biltmore Estate. 

Like any good fort, there were two highly-enforced rules. First, there were no girls allowed (especially my sister). Second, to enter the fort, you had to say the password. 

In Psalm 100:4, the psalmist instructs us to “enter [God’s] gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Although God does not share my first clubhouse rule (He thankfully allows my sister into his presence), He does abide by the second one. There is a password, a prerequisite, for coming in to see Him. That prerequisite is thankfulness. 

How many times do we come to God with a problem, need, or complaint, yet without thanksgiving? If you want to experience God, the only way to do it is to come to Him with a thankful heart. 

Today’s Prayer: Father, help me to have a thankful heart every time I come to you in prayer, worship, and Bible study.