Psalm 103:1-5
Bless the Lord, O my soul. All that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who pardons all your guilt, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with mercy and compassion, who satisfies your life with goodness, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Applying God’s Word for today: Remembering God’s love and mercy for us.
We might wonder how we can do or give anything to God that would bless Him. After all, everything is His. The one thing He does not force is our love for Him. David’s point in this Psalm is that as we remember what God has done for us, we bless Him through our love for Him. He created us to be with Him, but we break that bond through our sins. God did not just leave us to be condemned forever; He established His plan of salvation to redeem all people. He made it a gift for us; we only need to stop pushing it away, because faith delivers God’s gift to us.
We remember how He sent His Son to suffer on the cross and pardon all our sins. He has healed the disease of sin, taken you from the pit of hell, and crowned us with mercy and compassion. Too often, someone reads this passage and thinks only of what is visible in this life. But what David writes is spiritual, and he was looking forward to the day when we will be in heaven with Him for eternity, where we will have only God’s goodness.
We love God now (we bless Him) in anticipation of the heavenly promise He has given us and in return for all the wonderful things He has done and given us. Moreover, we love others by sharing God’s love with them. He has forgiven all their sins and wants them to be with Him in heaven. Just as God’s love is yours by faith in Jesus, it is for others as well.
Dear Lord, please accept our humble blessings. As we reflect on all you have done and given us, may we love you with repentant hearts. You wrote in Your word that you love a changed, repentant heart. Send us Your Holy Spirit so that we love you above all else and love those around us as we love ourselves, so that through our love our souls will bless you. Amen.
Remember God’s love for you. He loved you so much that He willingly sent His Son to redeem you from all your sins. We bless God by being faithful and loving Him and others in return.