I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
--Psalm 118:17 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on July 1, 2013 of Psalm 118:13-21; Ephesians 4:1-16; 2 Kings 24-25.
The writer of the 118th Psalm is excited about God's grace, praising Him and giving thanks for His goodness. Over and over in the opening verses he notes that God's mercy endures forever. This is evident when we look at the history of the children of Israel. Even when they sinned greatly against the Lord, when He would finally have to punish them just to get their attention, God never completely turned His back on His people but continued to rescue them and deliver them from their woes. Even when the great Almighty had the opportunity to completely destroy the world and every trace of creation, and had every reason to do it a second time (and would possibly have done so had it not been for the earnest intercessory prayer of Moses), our Father showed His enduring mercy by allowing a remnant of mankind to remain and once again flourish upon the face of the earth. Our psalmist makes this a little more personal, recounting some of the dire difficulties and periods of distress he had suffered and would not have survived had the Lord not saved Him.
The psalmist declares that the Lord is his strength, his song, his salvation. We can understand the Lord being the source of our strength, not only in the physical sense but also the strength of our faith. The Apostle Paul tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (please reference Philippians 4:13). And many of us take great delight in making a "joyful shout to God" (Psalm 66:1), with music being a very important part of our worship, so we can relate to the psalmist describing God as our song. But when he states that God is our salvation, our psalmist looks ahead first to Jesus and then to our day of judgment.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus our Christ on the cross and the grace of God our Father in heaven, we are given the opportunity to live forever. Our sincere and heart-felt belief in Jesus as the Son of God and as the Master of our lives provides for God's grace to deliver us from our death sentence. By Christ's blood we are pardoned of our sins. By our repentance we are forgiven. By our belief and faith and observance of the New Covenant Jesus made with us, we will not die, but will be spared the second death and will live forever with our Lord and Savior. Let us declare the great works of the Lord in our lives to everyone we see, for His mercy endures forever. Amen.
Father God, Your mercy indeed endures, poured over us even when we were dead in sin. Even as we wallow in the deepest darkest pit of sin, You send Your Son who extends His hand to us and offers us eternal life. Thank You, Father, for Your ever-faithful grace and mercy. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to keep our end of the New Covenant You made with us. We need You, Lord. And in Your sweet name, Jesus, we pray for God's continued mercy. Amen.
The psalmist declares that the Lord is his strength, his song, his salvation. We can understand the Lord being the source of our strength, not only in the physical sense but also the strength of our faith. The Apostle Paul tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (please reference Philippians 4:13). And many of us take great delight in making a "joyful shout to God" (Psalm 66:1), with music being a very important part of our worship, so we can relate to the psalmist describing God as our song. But when he states that God is our salvation, our psalmist looks ahead first to Jesus and then to our day of judgment.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus our Christ on the cross and the grace of God our Father in heaven, we are given the opportunity to live forever. Our sincere and heart-felt belief in Jesus as the Son of God and as the Master of our lives provides for God's grace to deliver us from our death sentence. By Christ's blood we are pardoned of our sins. By our repentance we are forgiven. By our belief and faith and observance of the New Covenant Jesus made with us, we will not die, but will be spared the second death and will live forever with our Lord and Savior. Let us declare the great works of the Lord in our lives to everyone we see, for His mercy endures forever. Amen.
Father God, Your mercy indeed endures, poured over us even when we were dead in sin. Even as we wallow in the deepest darkest pit of sin, You send Your Son who extends His hand to us and offers us eternal life. Thank You, Father, for Your ever-faithful grace and mercy. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to keep our end of the New Covenant You made with us. We need You, Lord. And in Your sweet name, Jesus, we pray for God's continued mercy. Amen.
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