Forget Not His BenefitsSpeaker: Sis. Stella Dhinakaran Gist: We are living in a fallen world. It is purely because of His loving kindness and His tender mercies. The Psalmist exhorts us to never forget the benefits that God has given in our lives. "I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord And the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, according to the multitude of His loving kindnesses." (Isaiah 63:7)
Many times, when we face problems and troubles in life, we get discouraged and say, "Oh, I am all alone. Nobody is there to console me." But if when we think of all the good things that the Lord Almighty has done for us, we will rejoice over it. He is a merciful God.
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3)
The Knowledge of God gives us eternal life. The Bible speaks about the righteous saying, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2).
When we meditate upon every single verse in the Bible, it gets registered in our mind. It also gives us eternal life. Therefore when we read God's word, we should meditate deeply into the nature of God and the content of the verses.
"God is rich in mercy, and with great love, He has loved us." (Ephesians 2:4)
The Lord is rich in mercy. He is the Father of mercies (2 Corinthians 1:3). His compassions fail not (Lamentations 3:22).
Dear friend, we are living in a fallen world. But in spite of all the torment we come across, we still can lift our faces to God. It is because of His loving kindness and tender mercies. That is why, knowing the truth about God, the Psalmist praised God with a grateful heart, "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" (Psalm 103:1,2).
Whatever may be your problem today, be of good courage in the Lord. Because the One who gladdens us with His goodness is with us.
"Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!" (Psalm 31:19)
So we have to think of all the good that the Lord has done in our lives and praise Him with a grateful heart. Then, the Lord will break down the problems that seem so great as a mountain and save us.
The Lord has said, "You are My people; I am your God." (Jeremiah 24:7;31:33;7:23)
He says, "I will dwell in them and walk among them, I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (2 Corinthians 6:16)
What a joy it brings to be known as the children of the Almighty! With this same joy, let us also say, "Lord, You are My God!" Ruth said it that way. She was from the country of Moab, not from Israel. Still she said, "Lord, You are my God" And the day she uttered those words, the Lord held her hands firm and led her.
The Lord proclaims, "This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise." (Isaiah 43: 21)
"In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old." (Isaiah 63:9)
Being His children, we have the privilege to keep on praising the Lord for all His benefits. Let us never cease to do that. Let us praise Him with all our heart. He will, in turn, bless us abundantly expressing His goodness.
Prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father,
I praise You for being a Father to me. You have given me so many blessings in so many special ways that even a worldly father may not be able to afford. Father, help me to realise every blessing in my life and help me to keep on praising Your name. I give You all the glory and praise You for the salvation that I have in Your blessed Son Jesus Christ. I place this prayer at Your holy feet, through Christ my Lord.
Amen. |