Gates of Righteousness

"Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
 This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation."
Psalm 118:19-21

All who have received free salvation through Jesus Christ have walked through the gates of righteousness. Within those gates is the presence of God himself. Though we were once barred from entering, the way has now been made. We have right-standing with God and have been invited into his presence to experience him in a personal, intimate, and unique way. Since we have such a great privilege, what is our responsibility? 
    If there is an open gate and we find ourselves at the threshold, we must walk through. To me this means that we must take full advantage of the offer. If God has allowed us, in fact, invited us into his presence, we ought to do it regularly. If we asked people if they would like to see God, talk with him, and ask anything they would like, most people would say yes. You and I have this opportunity all the time. There is nothing separating us from the throne room of God except our own will. If we are not in his presence, it is because we have chosen to stay away. How can we ignore such a great privilege? The gates are wide open and all we need to do is walk through them into the presence of God. 
    What would you do if you were physically standing in front of the King of kings? Probably, you would fall down before him in awe and reverence. You may be speechless, awestruck by his majesty. You would be like a wide-eyed child seeing new things for the very first time. But most of all, you would be thankful for being allowed such a joyful experience. The Psalmist tells us that when we walk through the gates of righteousness into the presence of the Lord, we must be thankful. There are too many times when I forget to thank God for the great things he has done in my life. The greatest of these is the salvation and relationship with him that he has given me. I didn't have to earn the right to stand before him, he gave it to me. My only response must be to praise him and give him thanks. 
    Remember the gates of righteousness. Remember that you are invited into the presence of God. Go there and dwell with him. Literally choose to live in his presence. And while you are there, let thanksgiving be the cry of your heart and lips. He is worthy because he has given us access. He has removed the chasm that once separated us. It is much more than just the fact that he has allowed us to come into his presence, it is that he wants us to come. Would we turn down an invitation from God himself? It is time for us to walk through the gates of righteousness, enter his presence, and thank him with everything we have. He alone is worthy!