Bless the Lord, O My Soul - Psalms 103-104 and I Corinthians 2

I can relate to all of the blessings listed by the psalmists in these two psalms. God has healed me. He has forgiven me. He has crowned me with His lovingkindness and mercy. My soul is so full of thanks and praise for Him. However, there are many people who curse God. They do not see what He is doing in their lives. They complain about their lives and the world situation. How can two people come to such a different conclusion? The facts are the same. God created the world around us all in a wonderfully ordered way. He is working in the lives of nations and people all the time. Why do some people see it, and others don't? The Bible plainly tells us that God is revealing Himself to everyone, but some respond with faith and some respond with rejection. Satan is always doing all he can do to lead people to reject God, so that they will not see what He is doing and accept Him by faith. When a person does respond in faith to God's revelation, He opens their eyes to see more and more of Himself, His nature, and His ways. He gives His wisdom, which is very different from the wisdom of the world. Paul speaks of earthly wisdom and God's wisdom in I Corinthians 2. Until a person trusts Christ and receives the Holy Spirit, he or she can't really know the things of the Lord. They may be able to see a small amount, just enough to decide to believe. However, once they trust Christ, they receive the mind of Christ. This is God's wisdom in our lives to direct us and to enable us to detect His activity around us and to understand how He works. This is a very special gift from God. The psalmists had it. Paul had it, and we can have it, if we put our trust in Jesus and not in ourselves. We can help others come to trust Christ by praying for them and using the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Then, they can see clearly what God has said and done, so they can respond in faith, too. It is a constant struggle for all of us against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Will we bless the Lord, or curse Him? Will we believe, or reject? That is the essence of life. Real life is knowing Him, having the mind of Christ, and using that mind to bless the Lord all the time.

Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 105-106 and I Corinthians 3.