August 19, 2006 - Psalms 103-104 and I Corinthians 2
What a blessing it is to read God's Word and to hear Him speak to me in the morning! I pray that you are meeting with the Lord for an "unhurried" time each day, so you can have an intimate conversation with Him. That is what He wants. He loves to spend time with you.
Until this morning, I never noticed the connection between these two psalms. Psalm 103 enumerates the blessings of God or the benefits for those who trust Him. It is the testimony of David to the faithfulness and the mercy of God to believers. It is how God blesses individual people. Then, Psalm 104 is how God sustains and blesses the universe He created. He is the Father who cares for His creation as well as human beings. When you put the two together, you get a great picture of the care of God for the whole universe.
I just want to shout when I think about how He has forgiven all of my sins. (v.3) I praise Him for healing me from cancer and other diseases. I think of all of the times He rescued me from destruction. (v.4) He has been totally loving and merciful to me, as He has satisfied me with good things. (v.5) He has even given me much energy in my mid-life years. I can testify to the same blessings that David was expressing in Psalm 103. Then, as I look around me at God's creation, I can see all of the sustaining care of God over every creature. It is a wonderful testimony of His love and responsibility for the work of His hands. How has God blessed you? What do you see around you when you look at nature? We should all see God all around us.
Then, I Corinthians 2 takes this truth one step further. God is in us as believers. The Spirit of God comes into us when we trust Him as Savior and Lord. (v.12) Therefore, in our personal weakness, we can still show His wisdom and power. (v.4) We can come to see that He has wonderful blessings prepared for us. (v.9) We can receive the things of God and know the ways of God, because the Spirit shows us the mind of Christ. (v.13, 16) What a picture of the spiritual transformation in the life of a person who comes to know Christ. It is a super natural relationship with God. That is the ultimate benefit of being a believer.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 105-106 and I Corinthians 3.
Until this morning, I never noticed the connection between these two psalms. Psalm 103 enumerates the blessings of God or the benefits for those who trust Him. It is the testimony of David to the faithfulness and the mercy of God to believers. It is how God blesses individual people. Then, Psalm 104 is how God sustains and blesses the universe He created. He is the Father who cares for His creation as well as human beings. When you put the two together, you get a great picture of the care of God for the whole universe.
I just want to shout when I think about how He has forgiven all of my sins. (v.3) I praise Him for healing me from cancer and other diseases. I think of all of the times He rescued me from destruction. (v.4) He has been totally loving and merciful to me, as He has satisfied me with good things. (v.5) He has even given me much energy in my mid-life years. I can testify to the same blessings that David was expressing in Psalm 103. Then, as I look around me at God's creation, I can see all of the sustaining care of God over every creature. It is a wonderful testimony of His love and responsibility for the work of His hands. How has God blessed you? What do you see around you when you look at nature? We should all see God all around us.
Then, I Corinthians 2 takes this truth one step further. God is in us as believers. The Spirit of God comes into us when we trust Him as Savior and Lord. (v.12) Therefore, in our personal weakness, we can still show His wisdom and power. (v.4) We can come to see that He has wonderful blessings prepared for us. (v.9) We can receive the things of God and know the ways of God, because the Spirit shows us the mind of Christ. (v.13, 16) What a picture of the spiritual transformation in the life of a person who comes to know Christ. It is a super natural relationship with God. That is the ultimate benefit of being a believer.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 105-106 and I Corinthians 3.