Tag: psalms

Deeds or Ways?

All the Benefits of Believing (ATBOB) #6

He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.

Psalm 103:7 (ESV)

They say you should never meet your heroes, because the reality never quite matches up to the fantasy. You hear stories of people meeting a celebrity or sports star, and they come away disappointed because the person they met didn’t live up to their expectation.

The problem is we may know what someone does (on screen say) but we don’t know them.

We ought to be aware of this danger in our relationship with God. In our verse from Psalm 103 today, we see that the people of Israel knew God’s deeds, but Moses knew His ways.

In recent years, there have been a number of popular TV shows and movies about historical figures – particularly royalty. There have been dramatisations of the lives of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II and King George VI to name a few. Each of these debatably fairly accurately report the things these people did. What is often less accurate and left to poetic licence, is what these people were actually like.

We may learn all about what a person did in their life, and although that certainly allows us some insight into their character, it is a far way from actually knowing someone.

We must get to know God – not just what He does, but who He is.

Like most of us, I am sometimes guilty of treating God like a cosmic genie. Our prayer life can reflect the lack of depth in our relationship with Him when all we do is list our “wishes” for the day. It proves that we are more interested in what God can do for us, instead of getting to know Him personally.

My children are young and often ask for things – usually snacks. But what they really value, despite the asking, is spending time with their parents.

I’m sure we recognise that while God’s many blessings on our lives are wonderful, the truly important thing is our relationship with Him. If our prayer lives are just a long list of requests, then we need to reflect on our heart towards God. God wants to bless you, but more so He wants to spend time with you.

Jesus didn’t die to give us “stuff”, but to make a way for us to be in a full and satisfying relationship with God.

So how do we do that? How do we focus more on God’s ways rather than His deeds?

Firstly, I think we need to prioritise our relationship with God. God ought not to be one of many competing priorities, but should be the most important thing in our lives. We must make time for that relationship every single day. No relationship ever grows unless we spend quality time together – our relationship with God is no different.

Secondly, as I’ve said above, we need to take stock of our prayer lives. If they lack substance, so will our relationship. Talk to God about what matters to you, not just what you need from Him, but how your day was and how you are feeling.

Thirdly, I’d recommend you study different aspects of God’s character. When we read the Bible, we are not just reading accounts of what God has done. We also have access to many wonderful passages of Scripture which describe who God is.

Take an aspect of God’s character and study it out. For example, you could study His love, His forgiveness, His mercy or His patience. As we begin to understand God’s ways, we will get to know Him more intimately.

Once we know God in deeper ways, we will much more appreciate His deeds, because we will see them in the light of His character.

Are you more acquainted with God’s deeds or His ways? Do you need to change? Talk to the Lord about this, and He will make known His ways to you today.

Trusting the Unseen

All the Benefits of Believing (ATBOB) #3

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,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

Psalm 103:1-3 (ESV)

I’ve included the text from verses one to three here, but our focus today is just on verse three. So far in this Psalm we have thought a little about praise and worship, and also about using our minds and memories. The psalmist – David – begins to list out some of the benefits of believing, and he starts with two of the most amazing ones.

Who forgives all of your sins

From the very moment Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, God put into action His plan of salvation. So many times in the Old Testament do we see imagery or typology of the future Christ Who would come to die for the sins of the world. Indeed in that very garden, God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins/furs of animals. Blood had to have been shed for those animals to give up theirs skins, and the principle of the shedding of blood to “cover” sins was begun.

David knew as he praised God with these words, that He is a forgiving God. Of all the characteristics of God David could have pointed to, he chose first to highlight His forgiveness. Even in Old Testament times, before Christ came to deal with sin, we see God’s patience with His people lengthened time and time again.

And how many of our sins does God forgive? All of them!

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:28 (ESV)

God, through His Son, dealt with every single one of our sins now and forever. The idea that God has forgiven all of our sins sometimes makes my head spin. When I think back over my life, I can recall the times when I’ve let God down. Sometimes it was out of ignorance, but if I’m honest, there have also been times when I’ve done or said something which I knew I shouldn’t – but did anyway. I feel unworthy and even now I can barely comprehend that I can walk right up to God as my loving heavenly Father and know that I’ll be welcomed!

It’s almost too good to be true! I just don’t deserve it – and that’s what makes it so good! That’s grace!

I hope you are still with me up to this point, and that you too are humbled and full of praise to God for forgiving you of all of your sins. But the third verse doesn’t end there…

Who heals all of your diseases

This is where it may get more difficult. If I asked a typical church if God had forgiven their sins, I’d get at least 99% of the hands in the room go up. If I then asked if God had also healed all of their diseases, I’m not sure I’d get more than one or two hands if any.

I’ve never met a Christian who didn’t believe the first part of verse three, about being forgiven. But I’ve met many who don’t believe the second part.

Why is that? The same God who forgives our sins, also heals our diseases right? If He forgives all of our sins, then it follows (according to this verse) that He also heals all of our diseases. We cannot separate the two. If we accept the former, then we have to accept the latter also.

The difference is that we cannot see the evidence of forgiveness, and have no option but to trust that God has done it. You can’t see a sin, forgiven or otherwise, so we have to operate out of faith.

When it comes to our bodies, we look and see, and if we still see sickness, then we wrongly conclude that this verse isn’t true. Perhaps we wouldn’t admit that we think it isn’t true, and instead look for other interpretations of the Scripture.

Jesus faced a similar problem with the paralysed man in Mark 2. His faithful friends lowered him down on a mat before Jesus, but instead of healing the man, Jesus told him his “sins were forgiven”. This probably wasn’t what he wanted to hear! It certainly wasn’t what the teachers of the law were expecting. In fact, they thought it was a blasphemous thing to say – who is He to forgive sins! – they thought.

That was Jesus’ point. He essentially proved that He could forgive sins by healing the man. He proved the thing that could not be seen (the forgiveness) by doing the thing that could be seen (the healing).

When we see symptoms in our bodies, it is easy to conclude that we’re still sick. Yet this verse clearly states that God heals all of our diseases. So which is true? We have the same choice that Adam and Eve had. We can choose to believe what God says, or listen to an alternative voice. In this case, our symptoms.

To be honest with you, I have a problem with my eyesight. It is a long-standing issue, and one I have prayed about many times. I have yet to receive my healing. With a sight problem, the symptoms are always before you. And I’ve “trained” myself to believe in the symptom more than in the Word of God. So I am not writing this from the perspective of someone who has it all figured out! I have much to learn myself. And we are all on a journey.

Healing is not a straightforward issue, and there are many reasons why we might not be healed when we ask for it. But we have to start from the premise that this verse is true. God is a healer. Jesus, the perfect representation of God, spent the majority of His ministry healing people. God is the same today, yesterday and forever. If He was a healer in Jesus’s day, He is a healer now.

This post is long already, so I don’t want to spend too much more time on this subject. Perhaps it is a subject for a future series. For now though, if you accept that God forgives all of your sins (something unseen), at least consider that He also heals all of your diseases. Pray over this verse, talk to God about it, and begin to trust the unseen more than the seen.

Forget Me Not

All the Benefits of Believing (ATBOB) #2

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

Psalm 103:2 (ESV)

 

We continue our series on “All the Benefits of Believing” with the second verse of this great Psalm. And it’s a cracker…!

This verse repeats the phrase found in verse one – Bless the Lord, O my soul! I discussed before that this encourages us to stir ourselves up to praise God – even in times when that might be difficult. In such times, we must speak to ourselves – our own souls – and remind ourselves of the many reasons to worship the Lord. No matter how bad things get in this life, there are always more reasons to praise.

If you are reading this now, then you must have Internet access – a blessing if used correctly! But more than that, you probably have eyes to read it. Look around you, wherever you are, and there are likely many reasons to be thankful. Whether it is lighting, heat, electricity, a roof, food or drink or many other physical things. Beyond that, if you are interested in this subject, then you either know God or are seeking Him. So the reasons to praise God are already mounting up.

Our petition should not outweigh our praise!

This verse instructs us not to forget all of God’s benefits, and we see this little word – all – once again.

Remembering – forgetting not – the benefits of the Lord is a powerful thing to do. What our mind dwells on has a huge impact on our lives. The fruit of your life today depends greatly on the thoughts you sowed yesterday. Joyce Meyer says, “Where the mind goes, the man follows.”

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…

Proverbs 23:7a (KJV)

Our minds are incredibly powerful, and everything we perceive in life goes through the “filter” of our inner thought life. If that filter is clogged or damaged, then our perception could be off. For instance, if someone doesn’t return your call straightaway, it could be that they are angry with you and that you have offended them in some way. Or, it could simply be that they are busy right now.

How we choose to use our minds impacts our life

We can use our minds in many different ways. This verse is instructing us about how we use our memory.

When you think back, what key events or situations stand out in your memory? Are they generally positive or negative? It’s probably easier to recall in vivid details the times when you have been hurt or when some tragedy befell you. Perhaps it’s in our nature to dwell on the bad, rather than the good, but it is a choice.

Ultimately, you can choose what you think about and how you use your memory.

There are times when we need to examine a bad thing that happened to us, and work through it. I’m thinking of those who experienced some kind of trauma. I’m not suggesting you simply bury those experiences and don’t deal with them in the proper way.

However, if we spend our time recalling only the bad things that have happened to us, then our minds – and subsequently our lives – will not be in a good place.

For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened.

Romans 1:21 (AMP)

Here Paul explains how some fall away from the Christian faith. Even though they knew God as Creator, they didn’t honour Him as such. Paul points out that they stopped giving thanks and that their thinking became worthless.

We must not allow our thoughts to become worthless. We must continue to give thanks always. We must not forget all the many reasons to worship God.

What is your thought life like? Perhaps you’ve never thought about it! Try to memorise this verse from Psalm 103 (above) and if you find yourself not being thankful, complaining or dwelling on negatives, then speak to yourself. Don’t allow yourself to forget the benefits of God. Think back over your relationship with Him, and the times He has come through for you.

Your memory is extremely powerful – don’t waste it!

Praise the Lord – O my soul!

All the Benefits of Believing (ATBOB) #1

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Psalm 103:1 (NIV)

This is a fantastic Psalm, and there is a great deal for us to both enjoy and consider. I’ve called this series “All the benefits of believing,” and throughout I’ll be pointing out the many wonderful benefits of following Jesus.

Before I start sharing the benefits listed by this Psalm, I want to focus on this first verse for a while. “Praise the Lord!” is a common phrase in the Psalms and the Bible as a whole, yet I wonder sometimes if we Christians fall short in this area.

Life can be tough at times, and often our prayer lives reflect this. We come to God, seeking help in time of need, and Hebrews 4:16 tells us we’ll find “grace and love” when we come to His throne. This is a fabulous promise, and one I don’t want to understate in any way.

However, when I consider my own prayer life and relationship with God, I’m acutely aware of how often I seek His help more than I seek Him.

We should never seek God’s blessings more than we seek God Himself.

Of course, we’re all guilty at times of seeking God’s “presents” rather than His “presence”, but we were created to worship Him. As we progress through this Psalm, let’s please bear this in mind. God is worthy, more than worthy, of our total devotion and praise – irrespective of the benefits a relationship with Him offers.

So, Psalm 103 begins by telling us to praise God, and uses the phrase “my  soul;” The phrase “my soul” here is nephesh in the original language and it means “soul,” “self,” or “living being.” Clearly the psalmist is stirring himself up to praise the Lord. While praise and worship should be the most natural – even automatic – thing for us, often it does take effort and exertion on our part. Why is that? It’s because we have a “flesh” or “carnal nature” which is opposed to the things of God. Our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak.

The Psalm goes on to say “all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name.” This series is all the benefits of believing, and you might be surprised how often this little word – all – pops up in this one Psalm. Yet Psalm 103’s first use of “all” is about us. We are to praise God with all of ourselves.

We will go on to read about the many wonderful benefits of knowing God. Sadly though, many Christians don’t see or experience these benefits and can’t understand why. Of course, I don’t want to generalise here, but I do want to point out at least one possible reason why this is so often the case.

We sometimes seek the benefits of following God, without the corresponding commitment to Him.

When a couple are “dating,” they have no right to each other’s assets, money or name.  It’s only when they marry (commit fully) that they are then entitled to the other’s possessions, assets, name and any other associated benefits. In a similar way, the Church as the bride of Christ, has no right to claim the benefits of “marriage” without the corresponding commitment.

Likewise, when someone starts a new job, they cannot claim the full salary without fulfilling all aspects of the role. If I called my boss and said, “I’m not crazy about starting early, so I’ll come in when I roll out of bed.” or, “I like my monthly pay cheque, but to be honest, I’m not that keen on writing reports so I’ll just skip doing them.” It won’t be long before I’ll be looking for a new job.

As Christians, we cannot claim “all” the benefits with only a half-hearted commitment to Jesus. We must go all in if we want to realise the potential of our inheritance.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not suggesting that we must earn our place with God or only be blessed by “performing”. That would be legalism and works of the flesh. Every blessing and every benefit of following Jesus is given to us by His grace; the finished work of Christ at the cross.

Let me give an example to explain my meaning. My daughter is still very young, but one day will want to learn to drive a car. I could buy her a car right now, but would be reckless indeed to hand over the keys. Instead, I need to wait not only until she is old enough, but also until she can demonstrate that she is responsible and trustworthy to handle the vehicle. The “blessing” of the car could be sat in my garage, just waiting to be claimed. It’s bought and paid for, but until she reaches maturity, she cannot handle it safely.

How is your relationship with God right now? Before we dig further into this spectacular Psalm, I’d encourage you to examine your heart. Do you praise God with “all” your inmost being? Do you spend more time asking for things, or praising His Holy Name? Do you need to talk to your “soul” and stir it up a little? There’s no better time to start than now.

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