May 26, 2009

• Bless ADONAI, my soul

  Psalms 103:1-22  By David: Bless ADONAI, my soul! Everything in me, bless his holy name!  (2)  Bless ADONAI, my soul, and forget none of his benefits!  (3)  He forgives all your offenses, he heals all your diseases,  (4)  he redeems your life from the pit, he surrounds you with grace and compassion,  (5)  he contents you with good as long as you live, so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.  (6)  ADONAI brings vindication and justice to all who are oppressed.  (7)  He made his ways known to Moshe, his mighty deeds to the people of Isra’el.  (8)  ADONAI is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in grace.  (9)  He will not always accuse, he will not keep his anger forever.  (10)  He has not treated us as our sins deserve or paid us back for our offenses,  (11)  because his mercy toward those who fear him is as far above earth as heaven.  (12)  He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.  (13)  Just as a father has compassion on his children, ADONAI has compassion on those who fear him.  (14)  For he understands how we are made, he remembers that we are dust.  (15)  Yes, a human being’s days are like grass, he sprouts like a flower in the countryside -  (16)  but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone; and its place knows it no more.  (17)  But the mercy of ADONAI on those who fear him is from eternity past to eternity future, and his righteousness extends to his children’s children,  (18)  provided they keep his covenant and remember to follow his precepts.  (19)  ADONAI has established his throne in heaven; his kingly power rules everything.  (20)  Bless ADONAI, you angels of his, you mighty warriors who obey his word, who carry out his orders!  (21)  Bless ADONAI, all his troops, who serve him and do what he wants!  (22)  Bless ADONAI, all his works, in every place where he rules! Bless ADONAI, my soul!

  Praise is a choice. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that praise to G-d is something that just wells up inside us and comes out every once in a while. David saw worship as a choice he made. He saw it as something that he needed to tell himself to do. We need to make a choice of praising G-d, even in tough circumstances.
  I think that one of the finest examples of true worship comes from Job after learning that his flocks had been destroyed, his servants had been killed, and all of his children had died …

  Job 1:20-21 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, {21} And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

  When we praise G-d in tough times, it shows that we trust Him. It demonstrates faith. This is the kind of praise that is sweetest to G-d, when we trust Him in our difficult times.

  Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

  Faith is pleasing to G-d. Praise that is most pleasing is that done in faith, done in times when we don’t understand, when we don’t get it.

  G-d is very gracious and merciful, but if we continue to reject Him there comes a point of no return for us (death) and we are eternally lost.

  G-d did not say “He cast our sins as far as the north is from the south”, why? Because you can travel 24,859.82 miles from the south pole to the north pole, and when you reached the north pole you would then be heading south again. Now approximately 25,000 miles is a large distance for our sins to be cast away, but G-d does even better. He says “As far as the east is from the west”. You see, you can start out going east and you can go for an eternity, that is how far away G-d has cast our sins.

  This life is like a vapor, it’s what we do with the time that G-d has given to each of us that really matters.

  G-d’s mercy has been extended to all generations to all that fear Him. And you are responsible for your own walk, your own relationship with Him. You can’t blame anyone else for your rejection of G-d, nor will the sins of your parents be held against you.

  Bless G-d!!!

  • 10:49 am
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