GOD'S BENEFITS

Psalm 103 (TNIV) “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

David not only exhorts us in this Psalm to praise the name of the Lord, but also takes the time to list His benefits to us.  David, though very human as evidenced by his sins against Jehovah, was labeled by God Himself as a man after God’s own heart. Not only should that encourage those of us who are so much less than perfect, but should also remind us of who we are serving: a benevolent God who does not delight in the suffering of His children.

Christmas is over, however, the hallelujahs still ring out regarding the birth of the Christ child. It is news for the ages and not just for one season per year. In that news lies our salvation. Healing for our bodies and our souls. We were all bound for the pit of hell, which was created for the devil and all his minions. Trust and obey is all God requires of us. Surrender. Throw your hands up in the air as a sign of humble servitude to your God. Receive from Him everything He has for you. He wishes to bless you and never curse you. As the Psalmist says, God crowns you with love and compassion. Where on this earth can you find such an enduring love? … nowhere.

The desires He satisfies are not for temporal things, but eternal things; things that will last and be more meaningful as time goes by. God knows what we truly need. He is able to provide that which we most desperately require for survival in this life and the life to come. All the riches in the world cannot buy happiness or forgiveness of sins. A good man without Christ in his life and the Holy Spirit of God in his heart is nothing more than a good man, but a good man WITH Christ in his life and the Spirit of God in his heart is something much more: he is a righteous man. Without God in our lives we could never achieve the righteous standard required by God to enter into heaven. It lies in the acceptance of the gift. Salvation … forgiveness … justification; just as if I’d never sinned. Favor … mercy … hope. All because we have just a modicum of faith. Just a mustard seeds worth. Just enough to fit on a pin head. Faith. Trust. Obedience. Faith in action. Stepping out. Daring to live for God in the marketplace. Allowing Him to make a difference in your life. Letting Him change you from the inside out. You don’t need to tidy yourself up for Him. His Holy Spirit will do the job from your innermost core outward. God wants to change you for the better. He knows all that you can be. He wants you to surrender to Him. Allow Him to use you. Let Him change the way you look at things. Let Him change the way you act and react to things. We are all a work in progress … a building under construction, as it were.  Striving for perfection without any hope of attaining it this side of heaven IS a worthy goal. Being more like Jesus. Living like you mean it. Living like you care for someone, anyone besides yourself.  This time of the year causes us to pause and reflect on a whole lot of things. But nothing is more important that the condition of our own soul. Surrender.

We are to “praise God from Whom all blessings flow”. He is most worthy of all our praise. He is the only One worthy of any praise in this crazy, mixed up world. We readily praise performers and athletes and that is all well and good for what it is. They get paid handsomely for their talents, but have you ever considered who gave them those talents. Did they develop them all by themselves or did a higher power have something to do with it. Athletes who give praise to God are ignored or ridiculed, but they have the right idea. They realize and accept that if God had not blessed them with certain abilities, they would not be where they are today. This life is not all about YOU. It is about others; perhaps less fortunate, perhaps most fortunate. How would you tell the difference? I consider myself to be most fortunate, yet have no job and live on a shoe string budget as I care for my elderly father.  I consider myself of all men most blessed because I have been allowed this time with my Dad. All the money and fame in the world would only be a distraction. God provides what we need and we move on from here. God is faithful and He is good. His judgment is real, yet can be avoided if we simply follow the path He has laid before us. We must stick close to Him. We must know Him intimately, as He knows us. Trust Him to guide you into the New Year.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!!