About Praises- Psalm 100 and The Good Shepherd

A PSALM OF PRAISE– Psalm 100

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,  all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

God delights in our praises!  The NIV Bible says “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.”  God APPROVES of loud and joyful praise!  If anything, Christians should be a joyful, as well as thankful people BECAUSE:

• ‘the Lord is God’.  (Psalm 100:3)
•  ‘the Lord is good;
• his mercy is everlasting;
• and his truth endureth to all generations’  (Psalm 100:5)

David,  ‘a man after God’s heart’ wrote Psalm 23 about his shepherd, and most of the Psalms, and likely wrote Psalm 100 also. 

The Lord is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep.  I love these verses from John 10:11-16 NIV.  Jesus is speaking:

“I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.  So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.  Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father- and I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.  I must bring them also.  They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

” The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life- only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.  This command I received from my Father.”