Psalm 103: 1-14
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inter most beings, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits–who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so your youth is renewed like the eagles.
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far as he has removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
A Thought
What does it mean to fear the Lord? The thought that comes to mind was that of my earthly dad. Daddy was a man of discipline, teaching us to obey and respect his words. The only time we needed to be fearful of him was when we were disrespectful or we did not do what he had said. This fearfulness was not one of being afraid of him doing harm to us. It was knowing that he would sit us down and tell us exactly what we had done and why we were wrong for what seemed like 30 minutes or longer before we were punished. Daddy loved us enough that he taught us that our choices came with consequences–good and bad. My Daddy was a man who loved God and his family above all things. In many ways I can love God and others because of the love and discipline taught to me by my Daddy in whom I loved and respected very much. Praise God for my forgiveness of sin and praise God for my Daddy and Mama.
Our Prayer
Father thank you for the love and accountability made known to us in your word. Thank you for your compassion filled with grace to forgive us and remove our sins. Fill us with your love, compassion and your righteousness. We ask in Jesus’ name. Praise your holy name forever and forever, amen.
