December 09th, 2018

  10 Concerns in the Christians Walk with God – Part 8
 
8. Take Time to Rejoice in your Relationship with Jesus 
Psalm 68:19, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation." David wanted to praise the Lord with all that was within him. That was true in David’s day. How much more is it true today? Truly, He has daily loaded us with blessings. Daily we need to be reminding ourselves and giving thanks for the Lord’s benefits. Therefore, we have a duty to bless the God of our salvation. If that was true then, how much more so now!
 
In Psalm 103, David identifies eight spiritual reasons that should encourage our hearts to offer God thanksgiving and praise. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). To bless the Lord means to show admiration for the Lord as we thank and praise Him. It’s a call to give adoration, praise and worship to a worthy God. David is focusing on the abundant goodness of God. He warns of the dangers of forgetting the benefits of the Lord in his life. The word forget refers to a lapse of memory that can cause one to wander. David seeks to stir up his inner man to praise the Lord. Perhaps he is in a spiritual slump. Perhaps his praise isn’t as vocal or as frequent as it should be, so, he challenges himself to bless the Lord. It’s human nature to forget God’s benefits so, focusing on God’s blessings must be a deliberate choice. When we forget what we have in Jesus and who we are in Jesus, there is the danger that might wander away from Him. We are living in a day when there truly is a drought of praise among the people of God. We would be wise to stir up our own souls to praise the Lord! As David closes this Psalm, he calls on all of creation to join him in his praise of the Lord. Angels, saints, servants, and sinners, along with all of creation, are called upon to offer God the praise, glory and adoration He deserves.
 
The benefits of the Lord are, indeed, great and marvelous, and it would be an act of ingratitude not to remember and appreciate them. When considering His benefits we have the great gift of eternal life, through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption. We have it every day of the year and are daily ready to meet the Lord, whenever He calls. Each day we have the indwelling presence of His Spirit, the illuminating guidance of His Word, the daily provision of all real needs, and the assurance of His love. He has surely loaded us with benefits! Think of your family, your church, your health, your food, your home, your friends, etc. Your blessings are enormous! Let us praise Him for our health, our families, our financial blessings and so on. Let us be thankful for all the things He gives us. Let us not take them for granted. But, let us learn to be more thankful for those things which we can never lose! Let's learn to be ever thankful for those things that cannot change! Don’t just count your blessings. Make your blessings count.
 
Thank the Lord for the blessings of salvation you can enjoy right now. What a wonderful privilege to know Jesus Christ personally! Because of salvation we will someday enjoy a home in Heaven, a sinless body and eternity with Christ. We all look forward to our future with Jesus Christ but it's easy to forget about the benefits of salvation for today. Since God is the source of all our blessings, He deserves the full measure of our praise. If we honestly asses all that the Lord has done for you, it will not take long for you to begin rejoicing that He daily loads us with benefits. Let's take a moment to remember a few of the many blessings we can enjoy every day as Christians.
 
· Alongside of counting all those blessings, let's make it a goal this year to make those blessings count.
· Go reach the lost at your workplace or in your neighborhood.
· Make it a point to help fellow Christians who need encouragement.
· Lift up those who are hurting in prayer.
· How will you bless the Lord today?
 
Prayer, Father in Heaven, forgive me for complaining of the things I don’t have and create in my heart a spirit of contentment for the things I do have. I never again want to fail to thank You and praise You for Your daily blessings. I understand that many of the blessings You have blessed me with are for the purpose of blessing others. Help me to make these blessings count. In Jesus name, Amen!
 
Please Share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
 
Visit webpage again for – Part 9.