Since God lives in a real place called heaven, let’s picture it for a moment. The gates are open to all who call on the name of Jesus. We can come boldly because we are God’s born again children. Once we enter His gates, then we come into His courts. There is a progression here. Just walking through the gates gets you in the vicinity of Jesus and God. But advancing into His courts requires a password of praise.
“You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise. Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank-offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name.” Psalm 100:4 Passion Translation
I call this court etiquette. Every king has an etiquette of the way he likes things. This verse says thanksgiving and praise are the passwords into God’s presence.
Enter with Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving indicates extending the hand, adoring and giving a thanks offering or a sacrifice of praise. Typically when you visit a king, you are required to bring a gift that is unique and one of a kind. If you have ever visited a presidential library or museum of a dignitary you will discover some pretty unique gifts that were hand-designed by an artisan with the dignitary in mind. When you think of what really pleases God, it’s your one of a kind praise because your voice has a distinctive inflection, tone and words that no one else uses.
Enter His courts with Praise
The Hebrew word for praise in this instance is tehillah and refers to a hymn of praise and laudation.
Be thankful and bless His name
This indicates an attitude of heart. But the word bless means to kneel before Him. What do we do before a king? We kneel and pay homage. Even though we have access any time, it’s still important to remember who God is and bring thankful praise to Him every time we draw near.
Other calls to Worship
Nice I really love the word thanks God bless