October 31
Lam 4:1-5:22 | PS 103:1-22| Prov 26:23 | Heb 2:1-18
One of my patients who was originally from India, told me that something that she lives by, and that many in her community live by, is that for the first twenty years parents care for their children, but for the last twenty years, the children care for their parents. This might have been the case at one point in our nation, but this no longer seems the norm, though, of course, there are many exceptions. When we pause and consider all that the Lord, our Heavenly Father, has done for us, shouldn't praise and blessings pour forth from us? Consider our time in the womb. We might get a glimpse here and there through an ultrasound, but for the most part this is one on one time as our Father lovingly creates us, molding us together, as a potter would do with a lump of clay. He then provides for our daily needs, never leaves our side, walks with us on this Earth, provided us His Son in order that we might spend eternity with Him, and walks us home in our final moments on earth. Now, many of these portions of our life do not go smoothly, as we choose to ignore or forget Him. Also, many imperfect people are placed in our path who steer us off course. But, what is so often forgotten, is that we were not created for ourselves, our children, our spouses, our parents, our professions, etc. We were created by Him, and we were created for Him. He deserves all of our praises and blessings. But, sadly, all too often, our communication with our Heavenly Father is full of requests and short on blessings.
We read in Psalm 103:1-4, "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: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,". This is why David, despite the many things that he did in his life that were wrong, is called a "man after God's own heart". His words come from a heart of deep love and reverence, in a spirit of adoration and thanksgiving. David knew his own sinful nature, and the grace that was so richly extended by God, as we read in 103:8-10, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities." When we mess up, as David did, and as we all do, all the time, he knew that His Heavenly Father not only forgave him, but forgot his sins, as we read in 103:11-12, "For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."
We know this in our head, but how often do we allow this to be felt in our hearts. In our complaints of all that we feel we deserve, or all of the injustices that surround us, or all of the disrespect that we encounter, do we even consider that we don't deserve our very breath, and God deserves everything, and I mean , everything. Even the fact that we try to fit God into our busy lives, is wrong, just in the premise of what we are doing. We should be trying to fit in the world. We have things mixed up. As the cloud and pillar of fire were at the center of the camp as the Israelites wandered in the desert, He needs to be at the center of our lives, everywhere. May we take a moment to reflect on all the blessings that God has richly given us, starting from creating us, and then pour out our blessings on Him.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: