Devotion:
Read Psalm 103:1-14.
Over the years, this has become my favorite passage of the Psalms. It offers a wonderful assurance of God’s love and forgiveness. It begins in praise, which is what worship is all about. Several reasons are offered for why we praise God: forgiveness, redemption, healing, provision and strength. Verse six reminds me that God seeks for all people to receive these benefits, not just me. God seeks justice for all. And because we as humans practice injustice toward others, God has many reasons to be angry with us, yet that anger will not last.
Verse seven is the one that most grabs my attention: God “does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” What God did through Jesus Christ at Easter proves that verse most fully! “God so loved the world” that did not love God; not giving us what we deserved, but what God’s love desires: for every person to be restored to a right relationship with God. So, God gives Jesus; Jesus gives himself, that all may know of this love.
The joy and laughter with which we can live life is found in these verses. I commend them to you as a good passage to review every so often. “Praise the Lord, my soul!”
Personal Worship Option:
Offer this prayer as is or in your own words: “Lord of love and life, I praise you today for both. Thank you for life. Thank you for your love. Help me show my gratitude to you by offering your life and love to others. Through Christ, Amen.”
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