I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
Psalm 138:1–2

We have much to be thankful for as the people of God at Five Points, who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit. As summer draws to a close, let us praise the One True God among our neighbors and the nations! Think about how God has shown you steadfast love this summer. Ponder His great faithfulness to you this season. At some point in doing that, you'll be overcome in amazement that God would act in such great ways towards such a great sinner. That's why the psalmist bows down, not only in worship, but in humbleness. And there we find another thing to praise our God for, as verse 6 says: "For though the Lord is high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar." It's not those who have it all together that are near God, but those who know they're a wreck without Him. It's not those who never experience trouble that have God's favor, but rather those who walk in the midst of it who experience His abundantly sufficient grace (v7). It's those who cry out to God that know He hears and answers them (v3).

So let us praise His name and His word above all things among our neighbors and the nations! He has promised to fulfill His puposes for us (v8), so let us make the purpose of our days the same as His, namely, that we live to exalt His name and His word among all the peoples of the earth!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor JJ