Good morning. Today we're
going to look at Psalm 103. 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. You have groups of workers all over the country fighting for their
benefits. We don't have to fight for them; we have them in abundance! And just
what are those benefits you may ask? Who pardons all your iniquities (there's
not even a co-pay; He pardons them all); Who heals all your diseases (we don't
have to worry about something not being covered under His health plan); Who
redeems your life from the pit (that's where we were headed until He redeemed
us); Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion (there's our mental
health plan); Who satisfies your years with good things (this is a lifetime
benefit); so that your youth is renewed like the eagle (it's much better than
Social Security and Medicare !). The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow
to anger (aren't we all grateful for that?) and abounding in lovingkindness.
However: He will not always strive with us; He will not keep His anger forever.
There is a limit to what He will put up with. He has not dealt with us
according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Thank
goodness for that, or we would be toast! For as high as the heavens are above
the earth, so great is His lovingkindness towards those who fear Him. Father
thank You for blessing the reader with all of Your gracious benefits. He/she is
blessed when he/she goes out and when he/she comes in. He/she doesn't need
man's benefits when he/she has all of Yours!
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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