the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Discovering Christ Day by Day
Today’s Reading: Psalms 103-106
“Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
Psalms 103:1
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” — How beautifully this psalm begins! Here the psalmist calls the soul to sweet, pleasant service of praising God! It is with the “heart man believeth unto righteousness,” while with the mouth “confession is made unto salvation.” Unless the heart is engaged in any service, there is nothing truly valuable in the service. Therefore at the opening of our worship services in the house of God, we call upon ourselves and God’s saints gathered for worship to “Lift up our hearts unto the Lord.” Let us now lift up our hearts to our God, and bless him.
God’s Name
“Bless his holy name!” — God’s name represents who he is, embracing every attribute of his Being. Someone suggested, “Before we can thank God for his blessings, we must thank him for his Being.” This is what David stirs up his soul and ours to do. We must bless God for who he is: The Lord God Almighty, full of grace and truth (Psalms 113:1-6; Psalms 115:1; Psalms 115:3; Psalms 117:1-2; Psalms 118:1; Psalms 136:1-3; Psalms 139:1-24). It is the Lord God himself who is to be well spoken of, eulogized, and blessed with thanksgiving and praise (Ephesians 1:3).
His Benefits
“Forget not all his benefits.” — There is no better way to stir up our hearts to bless the Lord our God than to recall all the benefits and blessings of grace we have personally experienced from him. Here are five things God has done, and is doing for us in Christ, for which we should ever bless his holy name.
Forgiveness
“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities!” — Our God is a God of forgiveness! He forgives all our sins; and God’s forgiveness of our sins is a constant, perpetual act of grace through the blood of Christ (1 John 1:9). My soul, how I have sinned this day! Weep with joy, my God forgives all my sins!
Healing
“Who healeth all thy diseases!” — The corruption of nature is the sickness of the soul. It is its disorder, and threatens death. It is cured in sanctification. By the new birth, the disease of the heart is healed. Am I diseased in body and soul by reason of sin? God in Christ heals all my diseases.
Redemption
“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction!” — We were ruined and undone by reason of the fall. Christ redeemed us when he died upon the cursed tree (Galatians 3:13). He obtained eternal redemption for us when he entered in once into the holy place with his own precious blood as our Representative (Hebrews 9:12). This redemption is applied to our hearts by God the Holy Spirit in the new birth (Hebrews 9:14). The power of redemption is experienced continually in our deliverances of grace (Psalms 130:1; Psalms 130:8).
Lovingkindness
“Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercy!” — Christ has made us kings and priests unto God; and he has crowned us with God’s constant favor. God in Christ crowns our lives with all that is needful here in grace, and all that is good in glory. What lovingkindness, what tender mercies he heaps upon us in Christ Jesus day by day and forever!
Satisfaction
“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” — Nothing can satisfy the soul but Christ! Christ, who satisfies our souls, promises to continually renew and revive us by his grace. As God replenishes the eagle’s feathers every year, so he recovers his saints from their falls and decays, filling them with new life and joy as their days demand.
Precious, precious salvation; eternally secured for us and sealed to us by our God in Christ Jesus!
