On My Mind...
It is without a doubt an understatement, but “Life is difficult.” We live in a sin-cursed world. Our world is ravaged by forces of nature and disease – both courtesy of the fall – and by people’s sinful actions toward one another. No one is exempt. If you are not experiencing some form of heartache or difficulty right now, cheer up it is just around the corner! And don’t buy that one about Christians not supposing to be discouraged. The fact is it’s worse for a believer. In addition to the normal frustrations and heartaches of life, we have an enemy, a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Beyond that, we have to deal with the ever-increasing weight of our own sin. Daily, we are reminded of the sinfulness of our wicked hearts. The more we grow in holiness the more painfully aware we are of our wretchedness. Sin brings with it a sense of guilt, condemnation, and alienation from God. At the end of the day, the believer is left thinking, “I know God loves me…but I wonder if He likes me?”
Too often we turn to the church for some hope and what we hear, only adds to our disappointment and heartache. From the depths of our despair, we come seeking an answer and we hear about secrets of a stress-free life, how to feel good about ourselves, or any number of such topics when what we need to hear is the Gospel. What we need is a daily dose of what God has done for us in Christ. What we need is a daily reminder of who God is and why He is worth loving and serving. We need to practice what Jerry Bridges calls, “preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily.” We have a great example of such preaching in Psalm 103. This Psalm has been the basis for many great hymns such as Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. Its sentiments are expressed in the popular Gospel Song, Count Your Blessings.
In this Psalm, we find David cataloguing the goodness of God, enumerating his blessings, as a safeguard against taking God’s grace for granted. Old Testament Israel got into trouble every time they took God’s goodness and grace for granted. When they prospered and got comfortable, they “forgot” God. If we are not careful, we fall into the same sin. This is why we need some time each day to come aside and preach the Gospel to ourselves. We need to be reminded of the riches of God that are ours because of Christ. That is what David does in this psalm. He reminds his readers of God’s forgiveness and His gracious provision (1-5). David then relished in the greatness of God’s mercy (6-18). He concluded by rejoicing in God’s sovereignty and the glory of His reign (19-22). The same things we need to be reminded of daily. Having a rough day, week or year? Take a moment to feed your soul and preach the Gospel to yourself. Take a moment to read Psalm 103 and glory in the wonder of person, provision and kindness. Give thought to what He’s done for you and rejoice!
I will see you Sunday as we gather for worship. Have a blessed week!
Rod
Too often we turn to the church for some hope and what we hear, only adds to our disappointment and heartache. From the depths of our despair, we come seeking an answer and we hear about secrets of a stress-free life, how to feel good about ourselves, or any number of such topics when what we need to hear is the Gospel. What we need is a daily dose of what God has done for us in Christ. What we need is a daily reminder of who God is and why He is worth loving and serving. We need to practice what Jerry Bridges calls, “preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily.” We have a great example of such preaching in Psalm 103. This Psalm has been the basis for many great hymns such as Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. Its sentiments are expressed in the popular Gospel Song, Count Your Blessings.
In this Psalm, we find David cataloguing the goodness of God, enumerating his blessings, as a safeguard against taking God’s grace for granted. Old Testament Israel got into trouble every time they took God’s goodness and grace for granted. When they prospered and got comfortable, they “forgot” God. If we are not careful, we fall into the same sin. This is why we need some time each day to come aside and preach the Gospel to ourselves. We need to be reminded of the riches of God that are ours because of Christ. That is what David does in this psalm. He reminds his readers of God’s forgiveness and His gracious provision (1-5). David then relished in the greatness of God’s mercy (6-18). He concluded by rejoicing in God’s sovereignty and the glory of His reign (19-22). The same things we need to be reminded of daily. Having a rough day, week or year? Take a moment to feed your soul and preach the Gospel to yourself. Take a moment to read Psalm 103 and glory in the wonder of person, provision and kindness. Give thought to what He’s done for you and rejoice!
I will see you Sunday as we gather for worship. Have a blessed week!
Rod