I've been dreaming up plans for ministry this morning. As I sat down at my computer, I drew up a list of things I wanted to do. Exciting ways the Lord is moving here in Madagascar! The dreams I pray will come to fruition among His work here. I realized that I needed a statement or purpose to hinge these dreams on. So, I began my search. The word "gentle" kept coming to me, so I did a word search on my YouVersion app. It led me to many verses, but a specific Psalm leapt right out of my phone.
Psalm 103:8
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Not an uncommon verse to read. We often times like to read this single verse to help us feel better after we have sinned in some way. To make our sin seem less. Like it isn't a big deal. I read this and almost passed it up and chocked it up to being "too cliche". But, I felt prompted to read the Psalm in its entirety.
Psalm 103
My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
My soul, bless the lord, and do not forget all his benefits.
He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.
He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heaves are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass-he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.
But from eternity to eternity the Lord's faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do this word, obedient to his command.
Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all his works in all the places where he rules.
My soul, bless the Lord.
This is where the Lord had me sit this morning. I sat in this Psalm recounting all the ways he is so very good and I am so very not good. There are so many points in this psalm where I am brought to tears. Tears of acknowledgement, of thankfulness. How often do we sit in our mess, in the sins we've committed, and think of what Jesus did for us. But he knows what we are made of, he remembers that we are dust.
He didn't just die for our sins...he rose to give new life. He died to cleanse our sins, to make them no more, but he didn't stop there. He rose to show us that there is life after the sin...a better way to live. To show that this psalm is true. To show that he will not be angry forever, but wiped away ALL our iniquity, and show faithful love from eternity to eternity for those who fear him.
Aren't you thankful for Jesus? I challenge you to sit in your sin and think of what you deserve. Death. That is what we all deserve. But Jesus changed all of that. If you know Jesus, there is hope. There is a reason to be so overwhelmingly thankful. Have you shared this with someone else that doesn't have the hope? What a sad picture of hope we are when we don't share with others.
Psalm 103:8
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Not an uncommon verse to read. We often times like to read this single verse to help us feel better after we have sinned in some way. To make our sin seem less. Like it isn't a big deal. I read this and almost passed it up and chocked it up to being "too cliche". But, I felt prompted to read the Psalm in its entirety.
Psalm 103
My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
My soul, bless the lord, and do not forget all his benefits.
He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.
He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heaves are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass-he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.
But from eternity to eternity the Lord's faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do this word, obedient to his command.
Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all his works in all the places where he rules.
My soul, bless the Lord.
This is where the Lord had me sit this morning. I sat in this Psalm recounting all the ways he is so very good and I am so very not good. There are so many points in this psalm where I am brought to tears. Tears of acknowledgement, of thankfulness. How often do we sit in our mess, in the sins we've committed, and think of what Jesus did for us. But he knows what we are made of, he remembers that we are dust.
He didn't just die for our sins...he rose to give new life. He died to cleanse our sins, to make them no more, but he didn't stop there. He rose to show us that there is life after the sin...a better way to live. To show that this psalm is true. To show that he will not be angry forever, but wiped away ALL our iniquity, and show faithful love from eternity to eternity for those who fear him.
Aren't you thankful for Jesus? I challenge you to sit in your sin and think of what you deserve. Death. That is what we all deserve. But Jesus changed all of that. If you know Jesus, there is hope. There is a reason to be so overwhelmingly thankful. Have you shared this with someone else that doesn't have the hope? What a sad picture of hope we are when we don't share with others.
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