Week 3 Day 3: Psalms of Thanksgiving

Read Psalm 100
Personal Bible Study

• Reflect on verse 3.  To what degree do you live like you belong to God and not to yourself?
• It's not until Jesus finishes His work that we know the cost of becoming His:  1 Corinthians 7:23.  To what extend does your lack of thankfulness for the price Jesus paid influence your perspective that you can live for yourself?

Family Discussion Guide
At the temple, the gate opened onto the court, the court was the first place people entered, and anyone could come into the temple court.

• What attitude does God want us to come to Him with if we are entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise?

Daily Reflection Questions

• What fundamental truth does this text reveal?
• How does this text inform the way God intends me to view myself, others, my circumstances, and the world?
• How can I apply the truth of this text to my life in a practical way?

Community Conversation Suggestions

• How does our culture view appreciation?  Do you think it’s different than these writers viewed appreciation?  How?
• How did these Psalms make you feel?  How would you describe the mood in these Psalms?  Do you think being thankful generally improves your mood?  Is that a psychological principle or a Biblical principle?
• When you pray, do you spend more time asking or thanking?

Spiritual Formation Activity
Each day this week, reflect on the following questions:

• What has God provided for me physically?
• What has God provided for me materially?
• What has God provided for me spiritually?
• What has God provided for me circumstantially?

After you make the list, thank God for His provision in your life.  If it’s not your habit, this week, begin your prayers with thanksgiving.

Weekly Memory Verse
Give thanks to the Lord; His love endures forever.  – 2 Chronicles 20:21