We are exploring what Psalm 100
can teach us about living a life of joy that enables us to share the love of
God in what we do and say, in all the ways we live. The first part of verse 3
says that we must “know that the Lord is God.” We cannot worship or share the
love of a deity that we don’t really know.
This butterfly in the flowers reminds us God is
the One whom all creation worships with a ‘joyful noise.’ Our worship needs to be
filled with gladness and joy and even a song. We can be joyful because we know WHO our God IS. Romans 8:28, 38-39 assures us, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according
to his purpose…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who
loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
We each have a different answer
to Who God is, though, because we each have a unique experience of the Love of
God to us. How would you respond if someone
asked “who is this God you believe in?” The Apostle’s Creeds gives us one
answer and many of us say it every week:
I believe in God, the Father
almighty, creator of heaven and earth;
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
Every part of the creed is true. However, it may not fully capture all of Who God is in your life.
Ask yourself Who is God in my
life?
Is Christ my friend, helper, lover, guide…?
What words would I use to describe the Lord?
Take a few minutes to make a list of your own synonyms for God. You might even want to make 3 lists: one for God as Father, one for God as Son, one for God as Holy Spirit.
Is Christ my friend, helper, lover, guide…?
What words would I use to describe the Lord?
Take a few minutes to make a list of your own synonyms for God. You might even want to make 3 lists: one for God as Father, one for God as Son, one for God as Holy Spirit.
Knowing Who God is and that "nothing can separate us from the love of God" will more than likely give you a new appreciation for God and enliven your
worship. Knowing Who God is in your life will enable you to share your personal
story of your relationship with God, too.
“The Lord is God” says the Psalmist. That is true. “So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them,” says 1 John 4:16. That is true.
God is in loving relationship with each of us. That is also true.
"We are more than conquerors through him who loved us," is a true statement as well.
The Lord our God desires our joyful, glad, worship. That is true, as well.
How will you respond to the Lord our God? Next time we will look at the second half of verse 3, which gives us another answer to the question of how to live joyfully in the Lord.
