Psalm 103:10

Psalm 103:10

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee glory! We were far from God and Jesus died for us. I know I've told you this before, but it bears repeating. The head of the Moody Bible Institute is greeted by many as he enters the office. Most ask him, "Hey, how are today?" He answers, "Better than I deserve!". Can you grasp that? We deserved eternity in hell for our sins. Eternal separation from God is what our earnings were. You know, the wages of sin is death. So why won't we get what we deserve? Because we accepted God's free gift of salvation via His Son's death on the cross for our sins! Thank You Daddy, and thank You Jesus!!! TTFN and God bless.
:-) PJ

Psalm 103:9

Psalm 103:9

He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.

Yesterday we saw that God is slow to anger. He has a very long fuse. But, He does get angry. But He won't stay angry forever. He won't remind you what you've done wrong, after He's forgiven you of it. That's the devil's job. If we're constantly reminding folks of the sins of their past, we're doing the devil's bidding, not the Lord's. God wants the best for you....at all times. Sure there are going to be unpleasant times, unpleasant situations, but we can always remind ourselves of Romans 8:28. Do you remember it? Remind yourself of God's promises daily. Have a great day and God bless. :-) PJ

Psalm 103:8

Psalm 103:8

The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

He has had mercy on us all. He gave His only Son for us, so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly. Gracious is defined as: enjoying favor. Wow. His favor and His mercy is upon us. One thing we need to remember is that we should be merciful as He has been merciful to us. Sometimes we don't want to pray for those who've done us wrong. We don't want to be kind to them, but we should be. Ask the Lord to help you see the lost (and other Christians......in other words...everyone) as He sees them....to help you forgive, forget, and move on. He will. Have a great day and God bless. :-) PJ

Psalm 103:7

Psalm 103:7

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

He's made His ways known to us too...........even more so, than to them. How? You may ask. Through His Word. One thing that they didn't have was the entire bible like we have. They didn't have all the examples, and most of all, they didn't have Jesus as Lord and Savior. They were under the law. We have oodles more than they did. Now they may have seen more with their own eyes than we have, but I believe having the Word is as important, if not more so. The Word doesn't change. The way you remember things changes........the way you see things changes, but God's word never does. Are you seeing what the Lord is revealing to you each and every day via His Word? Are you seeking His face and answers in prayer........and waiting for His answer? I can ask the same of myself. He will reveal Himself to you if you will allow Him to.........expect Him to.........ask Him to. God bless. :-) James

Psalm 103:6

Psalm 103:6

The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed.

There is a payday coming. We see despots and dictators doing horrible things to their people. Sometimes the world steps in and executes judgment, and sometimes not. But God sees all, and there will be justice. Maybe not justice you can see with you own two eyes, but there will be justice.....guaranteed. He sees the suffering and will make it right. He is a good God, and He's a God of justice. Have a great day and God bless. :-) PJ

Psalm 103:5

Psalm 103:5

Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Eeeeeeeeeee glory. The Lord satisfies your mouth with good things, and renews your youth. That's good news. Sometimes I think I'm 80 years old.....hehehe. But praise God, the Lord recharges my battery for me, and off I go. I had once heard a story of eagles.....that they went off on their own and lost all their feathers, talons, and beak. But I found that to be a myth via the website: http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle-myths.html It makes a great story, but it's just not true. But, the old feathers do push the old ones out, gradually, in what's called a molt. Well, here's the quote from the website:

"For those of you who have e-mailed me wondering if it's true that an eagle goes into seclusion, plucks all of its feathers, sheds its beak and talons, and then renews itself, is a myth. An eagle's beak and talons grow continuously, because they are made of keratin, the same substance as our hair and fingernails. Eagles molt in patches, taking almost half a year to replace feathers, starting with the head and working downward. Not all feathers are replaced in a given molt. An eagle without feathers, talons, and a beak would die of starvation and exposure." As quoted from the aforementioned website.

So now, we can see that our being renewed isn't instant, and it's not a horrendously drawn out process as we (or as I) thought it was. It's a gradual process. You didn't get worn out overnight, and you're not going to be renewed overnight either, although nothing is impossible for God. But I see from the comparison to the eagle's restoration that it is most likely a slower process.....not years, but not days either. Anyway, rejoice because the Lord is on your side, and He will work it out for good. Have a great day and God bless. James

Psalm 103:4

Psalm 103:4

Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Did you ever stop to think about the word "redeem"? What does it mean? What does it mean to you? Well, technically speaking, the word "redeem" means to be saved or bought back. An example of what it represents.......a better way to define it is.... A slave is bought and sold, maybe more than once in his/her life. But let's say I buy a slave and then release him/her as a free man/woman. I have redeemed them. They couldn't buy themselves, and make themselves free, someone else had to do that. In our relationship with Jesus, only He could redeem us from the slavery to sin we were all in. He paid the price with His precious blood. I've seen great things in my walk with Christ. People healed of diseases, demons fleeing and crying out, but the most incredible miracle of all.........is a changed life. A redeemed life. Seeing someone who was in the clutches of the devil, and seeing them completely free. It is the most incredible thing to witness, and most of us take it for granted. We want to see the legs grow out, and the eyes created right in front of us.....and those things would be neat to see. But to see a changed life. One who was racing towards hell, who is now leading (or pointing) folks to Jesus, and to heaven, is just amazing. I am one of those miracles. So are you. We were all headed for destruction, and yes, we all deserved it. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee glory! We are redeemed! How about lovingkindness........what's that mean? Well, Merriam-Webster online defines it as: "tender and benevolent affection". Isn't that awesome? And tender mercies means to me, mercy without wagging a finger at you. That whole, "I forgive you, but I'll never let you forget it! And I'll never forget it either!" Is that really forgiveness? If I loan you $100 and later tell you, "Hey, I know you're having a rough time financially, I don't want this hanging over your head. I forgive you of that debt. You owe me nothing." And then 3 days later (or 3 years later) we're out somewhere and you do something I don't like or I'm just upset over something and I say, "Hey, remember that $100 you never paid back?" That means I really didn't forgive the debt, because it's still lingering in my mind. It's sad, the easiest way to never see someone again, is lend them money. A true friend, will still be your friend. If you lend them money, and never see them again, they were never a friend, and it was worth the $20 to find that out. Since we've been redeemed, let's love others like we've been loved. Let's show others lovingkindness and tender mercies. Let's become more like our Daddy, and Jesus everyday. In fact that's a good prayer for every day. Have a splendid day, and God bless. :-) PJ

Psalm 103:3

Psalm 103:3

Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases

Why should we bless Him, why should we praise Him, why should we live for Him? He has forgiven ALL your iniquities, and healed ALL your diseases. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee glory! Whether or not you feel forgiven, you are! Whether or not you feel healed, you are! How come we can believe Him for our salvation, but doubt He can (or will) heal us? It's all about believing. I believe He has healed me, even when I don't feel like it. That's what faith is. It's seeing the things done that just aren't done yet. Speak it, believe it, and receive it. Now I'm not so much a "name it and claim it" guy. But there is something to be said for speaking God's word, namely His promises, into your life. What did we just read? Look up there, and read it again. You are forgiven, and healed. Period. You don't have to pretend to be healed........you are healed. Again, whether you feel like it or not. I know when you feel terrible, or you're a little apprehensive about some news the doctor gave you, it's hard to stand in there by faith. I know that. Wait a minute..........look up there, and read it again. And again. And again. You're forgiven, AND, you're healed. Is that great news or what? Now get it into your spirit.......come on.....say it; "I'm forgiven, I'm healed!" "I'm forgiven, I'm healed!" Come on, say it again......out loud. "I'm forgiven, I'm healed!" Oh one more time........"I'm forgiven, I'm healed!" Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee glory! Have a great day, and a blessed weekend. :-) James

Psalm 103:2

Psalm 103:2

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits

Oh my. Do you, on occasion, forget to count your blessings? I know I do from time to time. It can be as easy as having a rough day. Then you talk to someone else, and you start trying to outdo one another regarding who had the worst day. And it goes on and on and on and on. Then no matter how bad you felt at first, you feel 10 times worse now. How about thanking God for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do in our lives? Remember Romans 8:28? He is in control, even when you wonder where He may be at times. Look at the life and writings of King David in the Psalms. One day he's proclaiming the faithfulness of the Lord, and in the next breath he's wondering where God may be. God wants us to be honest and open with Him. He knows us inside and out. You may be able to fool everyone around you, but God knows what's deep down inside of you. The fear, the doubt, the thing/things you hope He doesn't know about or see. He knows, and He sees. And He still loves you. Let Him have it all. Surrender all to Him. He didn't scold David, nor did Jesus scold Thomas for his moment of doubt. So often we're so busy trying to "look" Christian, that we begin to pretend with God too. Let's be real before God and before one another. We're His children after all......He's our Daddy. He will help us if we'll just humble ourselves and ask Him. So many folks want to be super Christian and try to do it on their own. Let the Lord lead and guide you, and stop trying to do it all on your own. Forget not all His benefits. Have a great day and God bless. :-) PJ

Psalm 103:1

Psalm 103:1

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

How can we, bless the Lord? He blesses us each and every day, and we could spend hours listing all His promises......His goodness, His mercy......we'd be here a while. But how can I, how can you, bless the Lord? We can bless Him, by remembering Him in our daily lives. We can surrender each and every day, completely, and wholly to Him. We can worship Him, and by worship Him I don't necessarily mean in song, although you can.....but worship is a lifestyle, more than a slow song at church. You can worship Him by being obedient to Him. To quote Rick Warren from the purpose driven life in chapter 10, the first sentence says: "The heart of worship is surrender." A surrendered life is one that blesses the Lord at all times, and His praise is continually in his/her mouth. It's an attitude of worship. Immediately when I say worship, you think of slow songs at church where everyone is really quiet......there may be a peaceful calm come over everyone as they experience the presence of God in that place. And yes, that is a type of worship, and it's wonderful. But it's so much more than that. Even though it's great.....worship is way more than a feeling. I cannot count on my feelings to assure me of the presence of God. I can only count upon His word for that. He said He'd never leave or forsake me, and whether I feel His presence or not, I know He's with me. Merriam Webster Dictionary online defines "bless" as: to praise, to glorify.....to speak well of.......to confer prosperity or happiness upon. Wow, isn't that great? We bless the LORD when we praise Him, and give Him the glory.....when we speak well of Him. Good stuff. I think I'm going to attempt to go through this entire chapter (as we did Romans 8) verse by verse. Preferably one verse at a time. Have a great day and God bless. (Notice I said bless as to confer prosperity or happiness upon you. And also that you would be blessed by His presence in your life.) :-) Pastor James