BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL!
Psalm 103:1-5
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Is it possible to gloss over these verses and not be impressed?
Can someone read them and not be transformed? How easy it is to forget all the
blessings we have received in Christ! We come to Christ as His enemies:
rebellious, unworthy, loving our sins, entrapped by our lusts, broken, without
direction, condemned, driven by the world, slaves to our flesh, children of the
devil, poor, miserable, unforgiven and unforgiving, and confused!
God forgives our iniquities, He heals our broken spirits and
lives, He redeems us from the pit we are in, He lavishes us with His love, He
surrounds us with His grace, He makes us His own, He rescues us from our sin,
He satisfies us with good, He becomes our father and our shepherd, He gives us
new goals, He cares for us, and He answers our prayers.
Ephesians 1:3-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for
adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to
the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom
and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his
purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to
unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an
inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works
all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first
to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
From this scripture we see that all God has done was based
on His unilateral decision. He chose us before the foundation of the world. He
planned it all without our help; He paid the price completely, He sealed it
Himself, knowing that He was the only one Who could save us by grace and keep
us by that same grace.
If these truths do not cause us to praise, then we have not
understood them. And if we have not understood them, then we might not be
saved. Can we understand the depths of these amazing realities? We can begin to
grow in spiritual understanding until we reach heaven, where we will understand
far more completely. In the meantime, we are continually reminded and
encouraged to study God’s Word, which His Spirit uses to teach us!
Psalm 103:8,10-12
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Not only has God saved us, but he deals with us daily
according to His grace and love. He does not hold our sin over our heads! He
does not forgive us only for a season! He does not set a limit to His grace.
His mercy is infinite, and His forgiveness is absolutely complete, without
conditions. We begin by grace and live by grace. When we stray from His care
and love, He will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him. We might live with
the consequences of our sins, we might bear the scars of our transgressions,
but His forgiveness is complete and eternal.
Psalm 103:13-14
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
God is not surprised by our shortcomings; He made us and
knows our frailties. He is compassionate at all times.
Luke 11:13
If you then, who are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
God wants us to fear Him and depend on Him!
Psalm 103:15-19
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to
everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Our earthly lives are so temporary; only that which is
spiritual is eternal. We are so driven, so attracted by the things that will
soon pass away. Our hearts should rather be attracted by those things which are
eternal. We should remember and do God’s will. Our peace comes from the
eternality of God. He cannot and will not change; He will be true to His
promises. He rules today and will rule forever!
Psalm 103:22
Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
No other response will do! BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL!
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