Date: 21st June 2020
TITLE: PSALMS 100
CALL TO WORSHIP AND TO SERVE
BY: TAN SENG KEE

Verse 1 of Psalms 100 is one of the shortest psalms in the book of Psalms with just 5 verses. It is a Psalm of Thanksgiving and rejoicing to remind us of the true priority in life and the necessity of the right pursuit in order that we all may live the life God had intended.

Psalms 1 starts by telling us to joyfully shout and praise our God. It is an act of the will to want to come and praise our God. Life experiences tells us that praising God is often not done void of challenges in our circumstances but the Psalmist have reminded us that praise should continue notwithstanding personal difficulties. It is through praise of our God that we find strength to weather storms of life. The call to praise our God is not just limited to us Christians but intended for “all your lands”. Hence the call to share the Gospel that people may turn to our living savior, Jesus. Men finds their true purpose and joy only when they find their maker and creator. It is like a “Home Page” where we can reset and restart again.

Verse 2 moves on to encourage us to “serve the Lord with gladness”. It is not difficult to understand that if we love someone dearly, we will spend time and work hard to make sure the recipient of our love will be happy. Jesus ended the confrontation with Satan in Matt 4:10 by saying “You shall worship the Lord your God, and only him shall you serve.” It is hard to fathom motives of a diligent worshipper in church who does not also seek to fervently find ways to serve God. PBC’s many ministries from Sunday Schools, Karis to Youth Fellowship seeks out many willing to help.

Will you respond? True worship leads to true service. As you serve God, you will find that God not only enables you to continue serving but also give you “full of joy in His Presence” – Acts 2:28.

The psalmist then reminds us in verse 3 that we worship God because He is God, creator of heavens and earth and worthy of all our praise. As a child lovingly looks to his/her parents not just for “gifts” but because parents are the source of a child’s life and children naturally inclines towards their parents, so too we ought to look to God not just for blessings but because God is our life giver who loves and cares for us and we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

This gives us deep confidence and comfort through the journey of life knowing that God counts us as his own and through the raging storms His “rod and staff” (Ps. 23:4) protects us and sees us through it all.

The Psalmist then goes to remind us again in Verse 4 that we ought to wisely spend our days with thanksgiving and praise. It is if, the exhortation to praise and thank God already in Verses 1 and 2 is inadequate; he goes on in verse 4 to amplify the need for a life lived in thanksgiving and praise. A “worshipful life” does not automatically remove all my problems but a worshipping life places my confidence in God as a trustworthy redeemer who is able. The secret of the psalmist seems to be that praise and worship rather than frantic human efforts is the answer for an upheaval beyond my ability to bear. I am slowly figuring that out to be true.

Finally Verse 5 ends with a reminder that God is eternal and therefore His presence, truth, living hope, promises, salvation is eternal and endures for all generations. It is a call to trust God. The grace of God reaches out to us when we were unworthy but the love of God releases us to chart our journeys but in finality, the presence of God stands there to help, to relief and to bring me home for all eternity. “ I am blessed, I am blessed. All the days of my life I am blessed. “

Prayer:
Please help me to worship you our great God and savior worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving.
Please help me to trust you amid my challenges and to depend fully on you.

每日灵粮
星期天，2020年6月21日
标题：诗篇100 宣召与服事
作者：陈诚基长老
翻译：方美珠姐妹

诗篇100是诗篇中最短的诗篇之一，只有5节经文。这首诗篇提醒我们在生活中应当定义所需要的真正优先事项和正确的追求，以便我们能过着上帝所为我们预备的生活来感恩与欢乐。

诗篇一开始告诉我们要向我们的上帝欢呼。是心甘情愿地来赞美我们的上帝。人生经历告诉我们在我们所处的环境中，赞美上帝常常都是充满着挑战；诗人提醒我们，不管我们有什么私人的困难都不应当停止赞美。通过赞美我们的上帝，我们找到了抵御生活风暴的力量。赞美我们上帝的呼召不仅限于我们基督徒，而是在“你们的全地”。因此有呼吁当分享福音，使人们可以归向我们活着的救主。只有找到制造者和创造者，人们才能找到自己真正的目的和快乐。就好像我们可以重新设置并重新启动“主页”一样。

第二节鼓励我们“当乐意事奉主”。不难理解，如果我们深爱着一个人，我们会花费时间努力工作以确保接受我们的爱的人会快乐。耶稣以马太福音4:10“当拜主你的神，单要事奉祂。”来制止撒旦的试探。很难揣测教会中不乐意寻求服事上帝的那些勤奋信徒的动机。我们教会 PBC的许多事奉，从主日学、儿童团契到青年团契，都在寻求自愿者来提供帮助。

你会回应吗？真正的敬拜带来真正的服事。当您事奉上帝时，您会发现上帝不仅使你能够继续服事，更使你“得着满足的快乐”-使徒行传2:28。

诗人接下来在第3节提醒我们敬拜上帝因为祂是上帝，是天地的创造者，是配得我们的赞美。如同孩子亲切地仰望他的父母不单单是因为“礼物”，而是因为父母是孩子生命的源头，孩子自然就倾向于父母，同样的我们也不仅向上帝求恩典，而是因为上帝给予我们生命，爱护关怀我们，我们是祂的民也是祂草场的羊。这给予我们在生命的旅途中深刻的信心和安慰因为知道上帝将我们视为祂自己的，祂的“杖和杆”（诗23：4）保护着我们，带领我们经过狂风暴雨。

诗人继续在第4节中再次提醒我们，我们应当以感谢和赞美来度日。好似在第1节和第2节中赞美和感谢上帝的劝勉并不足够；他在第4节继续地强调以感恩和赞美来生活是必须的。 “敬拜的生活”并不能自动除掉我们所有的问题，但是敬拜的生活使我们可以有信心信靠这位全能的救赎主。诗人的秘密似乎是赞美和敬拜而不是人类激昂的努力，这答案超出了我所能承受的能力。我慢慢地意识到这是真的。

最后第五节以提醒结束：上帝是永恒的，因此祂的同在、真理、永活的盼望、应许、救赎都是永恒的，直到万代。这是对上帝信仰的宣告。当我们不配时，上帝的恩典临到我们，神的爱就在我们的旅途这样向我们显明了。最终，上帝的同在给予我们帮助与宽慰并带领我们回到永恒的家。“我是有福的，我是有福的。我一生的年日都是蒙福的。”

祷告：
请帮助我来敬拜祢我们伟大的上帝和配得我们称颂感恩的救主。
请帮助我在挑战中全然相信祢完全依靠祢。