#psalm 103:2

[walkswithmyfather]

Amen! 🙏🕊️🙌

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

Forgetting His Benefits (Psalm 103:2)

Every part of our being should join in praising God. The song of praise we sing should not be a solo, a duet, or even a quartet but a full chorus, the feelings, the affections, the mental powers, the tastes, the desires all mingling in harmony and praise. There are some who praise with their voices but not with their hearts. Others give intellectual worship, while their affections are not engaged. Others give emotional praise but their wills and consciences do not join in the song; they have good feelings but lack in practical obediences and in devotion to duty. Some sing missionary hymns with zest but give nothing to missionary work Some sing consecration hymns and then live selfishly and worldly. There is no heavenly music in such singing. The true way is to arouse every faculty and energy and power and affection to hearty, enthusiastic, practical praise.

“Forget not all his benefits.” Many people have excellent memories for troubles, adversities, losses, and sorrows but cannot remember the mercies and blessings of their lives. It is very unfortunate to have such defective memories. Suppose God would forget us for a time, and fail to provide for our daily needs, and fail to send us His ordinary gifts for a whole day, or even for an hour how sore a misfortune it would be! Yet we forget continually that our blessings come from Him. We take them for granted, and never think of the Giver!

Sometimes we do not think of God for hours together. Yet there is never a moment when God is not thinking of us, and providing for us. Perhaps if there were some break in the flow of blessings we would learn to be more thankful. The very unbroken continuity of God’s gifts makes us oblivious to them. Someone kept a book for a daily record of blessings. It would be a good thing for all of us to do. Surely this matter is important. We think others are very ungrateful, who forget our little kindnesses to them. Must we not judge ourselves by the same judgment, in relation to God’s goodness!

“Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases.” What an enumeration of divine blessings; and what blessings they are, too in this and the following verses! They are all blessings, too, which the world cannot give. Any one of them is worth more than all earth’s treasures combined! If we are not forgiven we must rest forever under the curse of sin, a weight greater than all the Alps; but God forgives, and forgives all our sins, and forgives fully and forever! If we are not healed we must be sick forever, sick with the plague and leprosy of sin; but God heals, and heals all our diseases, heals completely. If we are not saved from the destructive dangers of this world we never can reach heaven; but God keeps, rescues, redeems our life.

Earth’s crowns are made of thorns, and at the best, are only what the children call “play-crowns,” for they are only made of leaves that wither, or of gold and gems that fire will destroy; but God crowns His people with crowns of loving-kindness and tender mercies, which are real and radiant, which shall never fade but shall shine forever, becoming crowns of eternal life and glory in heaven. This world cannot satisfy a heart’s cravings! Its possessions only make the hunger more intense; but God satisfies the souls of His people, meets all their cravings and hungers. These are some of the things for which we have to praise God.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” The prodigal’s father waited years in love how slow to anger! and then ran to meet his returning son how quick in mercy! Is this not a true picture of God’s treatment of us? He is slow to anger but quick to show mercy.

“He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever.” These are wonderful pictures of the way God forgives. The best human forgiveness is very imperfect. Men forgive but they often “chide” and “harbor resentment.” They say that they “forgive, but cannot forget;” they keep the memory of the wrong always in their hearts, never forgetting, even while showing us favors, that once we injured them. The old memories of wrongs block up the channel of love as old wrecks block up a river, arresting its flow. But God does not chide nor harbor anger. His heart is like the smooth lake which the driving keel cleaves but which soon becomes calm and placid again, retaining no mark or trace of the crude furrowing. He puts away our sins as far as the east is from the west, that is, infinitely.

This was taught in the ancient ceremony of the scapegoat. One goat was killed and its blood sprinkled before God; this meant the atonement of Christ by which our forgiveness is procured. The other goat then, after the priest had confessed over its head the people’s sins, was led away out of sight, into the wilderness, and let loose, never to return again; thus bearing away sins to an infinite distance, so that they could never come back again to disturb those who had been forgiven. There is a wonderful passage in Jeremiah which reads: “In those days, at that time,” declares the LORD, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.”

“Like as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear him.” This is one of the most wonderful verses in the Bible. It brings God very near to us. It shows us His heart. He is not cold and far removed from us in feeling, indifferent to our sufferings, stern and severe in His judgment upon us. Rather, He is full of pity, like a human father in his pity toward his children. The best commentary on these words is Christ’s own life. See Him moved with compassion for the sick, the lepers, the sorrowing, the sinful, the fallen; weeping by a grave at Bethany, deeply touched at Nain as He saw the widowed mother following her only son to the grave; weeping again over Jerusalem because the people would not repent and receive Him. All this is commentary on this precious verse.

“For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” God does not treat us as if we were strong and perfect and unfallen. He does not forget that we are weak, that it is hard for us in our fallen condition to live right, that we are easily tempted and overcome. Therefore, He is very patient and gentle with us when we have sinned binding up the wounds, restoring the soul. We ought to get a great deal of comfort out of these words.

You say you are so weak that you cannot resist temptation. Yes, and God knows all about it. You are weary and worn out through trouble or burden-bearing but God knows all about it. You find your work very hard, and cannot see how you are ever to get through with it; but God knows. He knows your frailty; He remembers that you are only dust. He is pitiful and compassionate, and always gives needed help. There is immeasurable comfort in the knowledge that Christ lived through the whole gamut of human life and experience. He knows all about temptation, for He was tempted in all points like as we are. He knows all about sorrow, for He was acquainted with grief. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, for He was tried in every way in which we are tried.

“As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” A dear young friend has just brought to my table a cluster of beautiful flowers. They charm my eye, and their fragrance fills my room. But tomorrow they will be withered and dead, and I shall be compelled to put them out of my sight. So it is with human lives. They may be very lovely and sweet but soon they are gone, and there is only a memory left behind. As we think of this we grow sad, and ask, “What is there that is abiding!”

Above our heads is the blue sky, and when night comes the brilliant stars look down and say, “We do not fade.” We have shone upon all the passing generations of men, and still are bright as ever.” There is comfort in that there is something at least which does not pass away in a day. But here is something better still: “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him!” The love of God is from everlasting to everlasting. Here is a bosom, then, on which we may lean and know that our repose shall never be disturbed. Would you be safe eternally! Rest your hopes on God’s everlasting love, and not on any frail thing of earth!

“To those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.” All God’s promises and blessings have conditions. We have something to do to get them. Here the condition is obedience. There is a covenant, and it has two sides. There is not the slightest doubt about God’s faithfulness. He will do His part. But we have a part to do, too. It is to those who obey His commandments, that the love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. It is important to remember the commandments but this is not enough. A great many people remember them and can repeat them verbatim who do not obey them. The stress of emphasis is on the word “obey.” So if we want to claim and secure the blessings here promised we must be sure that we do our part and fulfill the conditions of God’s covenant of grace. If this Psalm is a palace of love, here in this verse is the beautiful gate by which all must enter in, who would enjoy its rich gladness and blessedness.

[tom4jc]

Psalm 103:2 Praise And Don't Forget

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; Psalm 103:2 Usually there are benefits to knowing someone, working a certain job, being a member of a club, living in a certain place or some other provider of a benefit. These benefits may be special discounts, safer community, one on one attention or something else. Often benefits become so commonplace that people will forget about…

[drshermaines-wisdomnuggets]

"DON'T WAIT UNTIL THANKSGIVING TO THANK HIM!"

Read: 1 Chronicles 16:7-36 “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34 AMP) We often think of Gratitude in terms of Gain: Someone gives you a ride to work. A neighbor cooks a meal when you’ve had surgery. Your boss notices your hard work and gives you a raise. The kids clean up the house or your husband cooks dinner. For…

[soaringeaglesingingjoy]

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits;

Psalms 103:2 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/psa.103.2.AMP

[touchofgoddotworld]

Looking at the End Times (Part 7) (208) - August 26 2023

Play on other Podcast Apps We’ve been prayed for by many. We got healed or delivered, then after a while it seems like the condition came back and was worse than before. Did we check the fine print in the Bible? Every agreement, covenant, contract has fine print. Let us find out about what the Bible says about deliverance, healing and salvation, so that our fruit may remain. Pastor Catrice…

[fardell24b]

Church notes - 11th December 2022

11th Advent Peace Isaiah 9:6, 7

Psalm 91

Angels Matthew 1:20 - 24

We need to bend our will to the will of God. Luke 1:36

Inspire fear

Luke 2:10, 11 Welcome message.

Hebrews 1:13, 14 A kind of ministering spirit.

Numbers 22:21 -35

Messenger Psalm 103:22

What they do Call people into God's service. Gideon Judges 6:12

Angels are often seen protecting people.

Acts 12 1 Peter 3:12

God intervenes miraculously, but we still need to step out in faith.

Psalm 34:7

Encamps

Psalm 91 A psalm of triumph. God is our refuge

Psalm 17:8

Luke 2:8 - 20

[tiand]

Let All That I Am Praise The Lord (Psalms 103:2)

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalms 103:2 NLT

[grandsouldream]

Readings for 5 June

5/06/2022

[magpie-trove]

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases

Psalms 103:2-3

[walkswithmyfather]

Amen. Thank You Lord, Thank You Jesus, for all your blessings. 🙏

“Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits” Psalm 103:2 (AMPC)

Amen! 🙏🕊️🙌

[hopethroughscriptureministries]

Parable of the Prodigal Son:

Jesus conveyed a profound message about forgiveness, redemption, and the boundless love of God. Let's reframe the narrative within this Christian context, drawing from Luke 15:11-32, and infuse it with additional biblical insights.

A certain man had two sons. The younger son asked for his share of the inheritance and journeyed to a distant land where he squandered his wealth in reckless living. Soon, a severe famine swept through the land, and the young man found himself in dire need.

In his desperation, he sought employment feeding pigs, a job that symbolized his degradation and distance from his upbringing. Yet, in his lowest moment, he came to his senses and decided to return to his father, confessing his sins and seeking forgiveness.

His father, filled with compassion, ran to greet him while he was still far off. Instead of condemnation, the father embraced his wayward son, clothing him in the finest robe and celebrating his return with a lavish feast.

Meanwhile, the older son, who had remained obedient and dutiful, grew resentful at the extravagant welcome given to his brother. But the father, ever merciful, reminded him of the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation.

This parable echoes the essence of divine mercy and the unconditional love of God. Just as the father welcomed back his repentant son, so too does our Heavenly Father eagerly await our return, ready to forgive and restore us to fellowship with Him.

The Prodigal Son reminds us of the importance of humility, repentance, and forgiveness in our Christian journey. It challenges us to examine our attitudes towards others, particularly those who have strayed from the path, and to emulate God's boundless love and compassion.

Broader context:

Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32):

This is the main passage where the parable is found.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation:

Matthew 18:21-22 - Jesus teaches about forgiveness.

Colossians 3:13 - Encouragement to forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate, forgiving one another.

Luke 6:37 - Judge not, and you will not be judged; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

God's Unconditional Love:

Romans 8:38-39 - Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

1 John 4:16 - God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God.

Romans 5:8 - God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4-5 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.

Repentance and Restoration:

Acts 3:19 - Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.

Joel 2:13 - Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Isaiah 55:7 - Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Celebration in Heaven over Repentance:

Luke 15:7 - Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:10 - Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

God's Provision and Restoration:

Philippians 4:19 - And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Matthew 6:26 - Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

God's Sovereignty and Compassion:

Psalm 103:8 - The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Lamentations 3:22-23 - The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

James 5:11 - Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Questions:

How does the parable of the Prodigal Son reflect God's unconditional love and forgiveness?

In what ways do we, like the older brother, struggle with forgiveness and harbor resentment towards others?

How can we cultivate a spirit of compassion and reconciliation in our interactions with those who have gone astray?

What steps can we take to emulate the father's example of mercy and grace in our daily lives?

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the timeless wisdom and grace revealed in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Teach us to extend forgiveness, show compassion, and embrace reconciliation in our relationships, reflecting your boundless love for all your children. Amen.

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Bless the Lord O my soul...

Barachi (Bless) Hashem (The Lord), O my nefesh (soul), and forget not all His gmulim (benefits); — Psalm 103:2 | Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) Orthodox Jewish Bible Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. Cross References: Deuteronomy 6:12; Deuteronomy 8:11; 1 Chronicles 16:12; Psalm 116:12; Daniel 2:20

[lotusmi]

Honey

📚PART 6: Honey

read more of my summaries | full post on reddit

⬸ [go to PART 5, "Imagining is Fun" ]

"I do not want to do this, but I should because..." "I must do it this way or else I might get punished." "I have to do this or else it won't happen." Etc...

Should I? I Must! I Have To!

These are rules we create in the Mind. Why do we do it? We do for the simple reason that we are trying to control the world. With our physical actions we are trying to control it. The moment we do not do what we "should do" we bring anxiety, guilt, shame upon ourselves.

Go online and you will see countless, I mean countless videos telling you what you "should do," or what you "have to do" or worse, "must do." What happens if you don't? Well then you are called all sorts of names. Failure, worthless, you don't try hard enough etc.

Please hear what I am saying: REMOVE ALL THESE RULES!

How? By doing and feeling what you want to do in your mind! Just go for the thought and feeling. Once you do that you are successful. You are on your way of freeing yourself in your mind. This is what removes all these rules. It removes this "good and bad," "best or worse." If a rule pops up which is a feeling that stops you, ask yourself, "Do I WANT to follow this rule?" No? Then don't. It's your mind anyway. You created the rule in the first place.

When you are following these rules in your mind, you are eating from the Tree of Good and Evil. What happens to those who eat from that Tree? They die. They fall asleep. They think the world is outside of them so they create all these rules to control it. Life to them is random, a wild entity that must be controlled.

You see these rules give birth to frustrations, irritations, guilt and a low self concept. They put you in bondage. When you try to escape but you still hold onto these rules, you create a Hydra in the Mind. You may kill one thought but then 2 more come. You keep fighting it but these frustrations grow and grow. But you are creating the Hydra.

William Blake once said, "He who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence."

Pestilence: a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating.

How more accurate can you get? If you do not act, or are not a doer, you breed dis-eases. One that is not at ease. Those are the plagues in scripture. A doer is one that looks into the perfect Law of Liberty. The Law that FREES you. You act when you EAT from the Tree of LIFE.

William Blake is saying nothing different than what was said in Proverbs:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a Tree of Life.

So when you eat from the Tree of Life you are fulfilling your desires within. Consequently you are healing your heart.

If you do what you want in your Mind, you will do what you "should, have and must do" in the world.

People will enter that you never knew before. Opportunities you did not even know existed appear. The world is a deck and it gives you a daily hand. But with your mind you can reshuffle the deck and chose the cards you want.

Just try it for a bit. Taste the Word of God if you will. Taste the word and sweet how it is.

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! - Psalm 119:103

Yes, may the words you speak in your mind be sweeter, yes sweeter than honey.

I know I am sounding like a broken record now, but this is essential. Sometimes it needs be repeated over and over in various ways for it to finally click in the mind. Once it clicks, you feel a shift happen within. Go with it. Intensify that shift. That shift will bring you power and freedom because it is the catalyst that opens your mind to feeling and doing whatever you want in it.

So start with the feeling that, "I can have and feel whatever I want in my mind." Once you make this your core feeling inside of you, you will naturally start to think FROM this position.

[go to PART 7, "I Am Not Going To Tell You "You Are Crazy" ] ⤑

[yieldfruit]

The Gospel

What It Means to Be a Christian

Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. Consider the following truths found in the Bible.

God Is Sovereign Creator Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

God Is Holy God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

Mankind Is Sinful According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we're utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10-12).

Sin Demands a Penalty God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by eternal death (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). That's why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.

Jesus Is Lord and Savior Romans 10:9 says, If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's justice, and Christ's perfect life satisfied the demands of God's holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).

The Character of Saving Faith True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9), pursue Christ (Matthew 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

Source: https://www.gracechurch.org/about/gospel

[servus-jesu]

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases...

Psalm 103:2-3