"A Psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations."
Psalm 100
The question that arises from what we said at the end of the previous Note is this: If there is blessing to the world through our calling as God's people, how is that blessing to be mediated to others? One answer must surely be that when God's people show a real awareness of the amazing privilege that is theirs, and show forth the sense of wonder that such Divine condescension should be shown them, this is the very best kind of evangelistic outreach. This is something that is echoed again and again in the New Testament itself, as for example in 1 John 3:1ff, 'Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us...' and 1 Peter 2:9, 10, '(He) hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light'. What comes through in 3 and 5 alike is the overwhelming reality of the covenant relationship with God: 'the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting' and when this obtains, testimony is always made. And for us, this is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the wonder of His redeeming love. This is our message as Christians to the world. And when we live it, by His grace, when our lives are touched with its wonder and its glory, the message will surely get through to others. The one unanswerable argument for the truth of the gospel is life abundant, seen in the radiance of lives touched and transformed by Divine grace.