Thank You: God's Password to His Presence

Hey, carpool crew. Happy Monday. I'm so glad you're tuning in for another episode of carpooling with Jesus. I'm Pastor Justin. I'm so glad you're here. Let me ask you something. Do you have a password for things? Maybe it's for your favorite game or your tablet, or you have a school Chromebook you need a password for. Without a password, you can't get in, right? Well, guess what? God has a password too. It's not a secret code full of numbers or symbols. It's just two simple words. Thank you. Those two words open the door to something way better than a game or an app. They open the door to God's presence. In Psalm 100 verse four, this is what it says, enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. This verse reminds us that when we say thank you to God, it's like walking right through the gates into his presence. Gratitude isn't just good manners. It's how we get closer to God. When the writer of this psalm talked about gates and courts, he was thinking of God's temple, a special place where people came to worship God. Before they even stepped inside, they came singing, thank God. It wasn't just about singing or praying, though. It was about showing a thankful heart. And here's the cool part. We don't need a temple anymore. We can say thank you anywhere, in the car at school, or right before bed, and instantly be near to God. If Jesus were sitting right next to you in the car or at the breakfast table today, I think he'd say, every time you say thank you, you are coming closer to my father. You are showing that you notice his goodness and that makes his heart smile. Imagine you're playing your favorite game and suddenly it locks you out. You try every password you can think of, but none of them work. Finally, you remember the right one and the game opens. That's kind of what it's like when we forget to be thankful. When we grumble, complain, or focus on what we don't have, our hearts can feel locked up like a door that won't open. But when we stop and say, thank you, God, the door swings open wide, peace comes in, joy comes in. God's presence fills your heart. So here's the challenge today. Every time something good happens, no matter how small, whisper, thank you, God. If you find a quarter on the ground today, say thank you, God. If you open your lunch and it's exactly what you were waiting for, say thank you, God. If you open your lunch and it's not what you expected, but you are still so thankful that your parents love you enough to give you money for lunch or to make you a lunch, say thank you, God. If a friend saved you a seat at the table, say thank you, God. The more you use that password, the more connected you'll feel to God the Father. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if you love today's episode and you want more carpooling with Jesus, subscribe, go over to Apple Podcasts. You'll get access to our weekend episodes, our goodnight Psalms, which is our nightly bedtime podcast, and a bunch of other bonus material that I'm sure you and your kids will love. Now before you go answer this question together, when could you use thank you as a password today? I'll see you tomorrow on carpooling with Jesus.