Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving: A Psalm 100 Reflection on True Worship

Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!

 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his[a]—his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name

For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.

Psalm 100

As we prepare our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits this morning for church this morning, let’s turn our eyes to the Word of God and meditate on what worship truly is. Psalm 100 is one many of us know well. But sometimes its familiarity makes us skim over its depth.

We read, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving” and think, Yes, be thankful when entering the church. That’s important—but what does it look like lived out in our daily lives?

Worship Is a Call to the Heart

This psalm is a call to worship—a call for all people to come before God with praise, just as He calls us to gather each week in His church. Yet how often do we neglect this call? Sometimes physically—by skipping church for other activities—or spiritually—by showing up in body but not in heart.

I’ve struggled with this myself. I may be present in church, but sometimes I’m so focused on serving that I forget who I’m serving: God Himself.

Service Without Heart Is Empty

A church service has many moving parts. Whether your church has a large team or just a handful of faithful servants, it takes coordination to create an atmosphere of worship. But if our hearts are focused only on the what and not the why, then all we’ve created is another weekly event—more like a seminar than true worship.

What blesses God is not our flawless execution. It’s a heart that worships Him. Before you serve, come privately before the Lord. Ask Him to center your heart on why you are there—to glorify Him.

When Worship Becomes Routine

Many of us grew up in church, and it’s easy for worship to become routine. Without the right heart attitude, small frustrations and insignificant distractions can steal our joy. Church becomes a second workplace, and worship feels like another task on the list.

But we must not forget—there was once a time when people could not freely enter God’s presence. Only the High Priest could step into the Holy of Holies. But when Jesus breathed His last breath, the veil was torn. The barrier was destroyed.

Through His death on the cross, Christ gave us access to the very presence of God. What an incredible gift! Yet how often do we allow routine, distraction, or even ministry itself to stand in the way of that intimacy?

A Prayer for True Worship

Let this prayer be the cry of your heart as you enter God’s presence today:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your goodness, kindness, and mercy. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You that through the death and resurrection of Your Son, the veil was torn and I can live in deep intimacy with You.

Forgive me for allowing worship to become routine and for serving with the wrong heart. Soften my spirit today. Help me to enter Your presence with thanksgiving and gladness.

Amen.