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. Oh, and by the way, 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 there is the ever-increasing weight of our own sin. Daily we are reminded of the sinfulness of our own wicked heart. 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 from the depths of our despair 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. We need to hear 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. Hymn such as “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation, and Count Your Blessings. In this Psalm David is “preaching” to himself. Reminding himself of God’s forgiveness, grace, mercy and glory. We are so prone to “forget” God’s kindness and grace. Do you remember in the Old Testament, God constantly telling the Israelites to pile rocks? The purpose was so that in the future when their children ask, “What’s with that pile of rocks over there?” The question provided the opportunity to tell again the story of what God had done.
In Psalm 103, David rehearses God’s forgiveness and gracious provision in verses 1-5; the need to daily relish in God’s mercy in verses 6-18; and finally, to rejoice in God’s sovereign reign and the glory and wonder of His person in verses 19-22. This is an important reminder to us because in times of distress and trouble, our natural tendency is to focus on us and what is wrong. Our focus becomes very narrow, and we get swallowed up in our troubles. The biblical answer is to look up and out. To focus on the greatness of God and His provision. When He is our focus, our troubles seem to shrink. When viewed in light of His glory, our sorrows settle in their proper proportion. So, if you find yourself amid a storm, take some time to read and meditate on Psalm 103. And If you are not in crisis, take some time to read and meditate on Psalm 103 and boost your spiritual immune system in preparation for the coming storm.
Have a blessed week and I’ll see you Sunday.
Rod
Too often we turn to the church from the depths of our despair 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. We need to hear 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. Hymn such as “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation, and Count Your Blessings. In this Psalm David is “preaching” to himself. Reminding himself of God’s forgiveness, grace, mercy and glory. We are so prone to “forget” God’s kindness and grace. Do you remember in the Old Testament, God constantly telling the Israelites to pile rocks? The purpose was so that in the future when their children ask, “What’s with that pile of rocks over there?” The question provided the opportunity to tell again the story of what God had done.
In Psalm 103, David rehearses God’s forgiveness and gracious provision in verses 1-5; the need to daily relish in God’s mercy in verses 6-18; and finally, to rejoice in God’s sovereign reign and the glory and wonder of His person in verses 19-22. This is an important reminder to us because in times of distress and trouble, our natural tendency is to focus on us and what is wrong. Our focus becomes very narrow, and we get swallowed up in our troubles. The biblical answer is to look up and out. To focus on the greatness of God and His provision. When He is our focus, our troubles seem to shrink. When viewed in light of His glory, our sorrows settle in their proper proportion. So, if you find yourself amid a storm, take some time to read and meditate on Psalm 103. And If you are not in crisis, take some time to read and meditate on Psalm 103 and boost your spiritual immune system in preparation for the coming storm.
Have a blessed week and I’ll see you Sunday.
Rod