Psalm 103:10-13 (102:10-13 LXX)

He did not deal with us according to our sins,
Nor reward us according to our transgressions;
For according to the height of heaven from earth,
So the Lord reigns in mercy over those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So He removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him,

Encouraging Words

Not only is God love, but He also pours that love out on us, his creation, over and over again, even when we do not deserve it. His compassion toward us is eternal and without measure. His forgiveness of our sins is total and complete. He is our perfect Father. Glory be to God!

Psalm 103:1-6 (102:1-6 LXX)

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And everything within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His rewards:
Who is merciful to all your transgressions,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from corruption,
Who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
Who satisfies your desire with good things;
And your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord shows mercies
And judgment to all who are wronged.

Encouraging Words

What more can be said, than, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” My God, my Father, my Lord and Savior, my Comforter, is always there by my side loving me, caring for me, pouring out his grace, mercy, and forgiveness upon me. Whether it is I who have betrayed myself, or a loved one who has abandoned me, or the world that has caved in around me, He is always there loving me. Glory be to God!

Psalm 15(14 LXX)

O Lord, who shall dwell in Your tabernacle?
Who shall live in Your holy mountain?
He who walks blamelessly, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart,
Who does not deceive with his tongue,
Neither does evil to his neighbor;
And does not find fault with those nearest him.
He disdains those who do evil in his presence,
But he holds in honor those who fear the Lord;
He swears an oath to his neighbor and does not set it aside.
He does not lend his money at interest,
And he does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be shaken.

Personal Challenge

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner! As I read through this description of how a righteous person should live their life I am truly humbled and recognize that I am so far from being this kind of person, living my life the way the God would want me to. Lord,have mercy! Lord,have mercy! Lord,have mercy!

1 Samuel 15:22 (1 Kingdoms 15:22 LXX)

Then Samuel said, “If only the desired whole burnt offerings and desired sacrifices were equal to the Lord, as compared to one who heeds the voice of the Lord! Behold! Hearing is better than a good sacrifice and obedience than the fat of rams.

Personal Challenge

God does not want empty worship in the form of sacrifices, which today is our acts of going to church and going through rituals as much as He wants us to give our hearts to Him. He wants us more than He wants our actions and words. He knows that ritualistic offerings and practices of worship can become empty if we do not guard our hearts. He desires to be in a relationship with us and for us to desire to be in a relationship with Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Samuel 2:1-2 (1 Kingdoms 2:1-2 LXX)

And she (Hannah) said:
“My heart is strengthened in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in my God.
I smile at my enemies;
I rejoice in Your salvation.
Because no one is holy like the Lord,
No one is righteous like our God,
No one is holy but You.”

Personal Challenge

Hannah is such a great example of a godly person who has been waiting for all of her life for a special gift from God, a child. And when she finally gets her prayers answered in her old age she immediately vows to give her child back to God. Shortly after her son Samuel was weaned and able to walk she took him to the temple and gave him over to the priests to raise him as a man of God. I have never been a mother, but as a father, I know how much I love my children and how much I miss them now that they are adults and off raising their own families. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been for Hannah to let her son go. This act shows how much she loved her God. Sometimes God lovingly answers our prayers just long enough for us to feel His love and to give us a chance to give back from the answered prayer so that we can also experience the act of loving Him. Sometimes this means letting our children go.

Judges 16:20

And Delilah said, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” So he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as before, and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

Personal Challenge

Isn’t this the state of so many of us who claim the name of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We act as if we are such good and righteous followers of Jesus, especially on Sunday’s and yet we dabble with things in our life that can so easily lead us into sin thinking that we can withstand their snares. This is how Samson lived his life around Delilah. He had so many indicators that she desired to cooperate with his enemies and betray him. Yet in his arrogance he continued to live his life in a way with her that would one day lead to his demise. We must watch how we live or lives. We must remove ourselves from those things that will tempt us to sin. We must do everything we can to remain in the arms of our Lord so that we can withstand the temptations of our enemy and keep from falling away. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Deuteronomy 29:28

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Encouraging Words

Once again, I am reminded that God is God and I am not. God is eternal, I am finite. He is omniscient, I am so very limited in my sphere of influence. He is omnipotent, I am frail and feeble. And the list goes on and on. However, God in His divine wisdom has allowed us, His created children, to know so e of His mysteries. He has done that through His Son, the living Word, through writings and teaching of those who have gone before us, through our traditions, and many other ways. But there is so much more that He has not revealed because we do not need it. This drives us to faith, to trust in Him, to say each time we participate in our liturgy, “I believe…”. God knows those things that are mysteries to us and I am happy knowing that. He will reveal to me what He thinks I need to know. Glory be to God!

Numbers 18:1-3

Now the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the sins of the holy things, and you and your sons with you shall bear the sins of your priesthood. You shall also bring your brethren, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, to yourself, and they shall be joined and added to you, and minister liturgically with you and your sons with you before the tabernacle of testimony. They shall perform your guard duties and the duties of the tabernacle, but they shall not come near the holy vessels and the altar, lest they die—they and you also.

Encouraging Words

I am sometimes asked why am I still interested in old-fashioned practices such as our liturgy every Sunday. My answer is, “Why not?” First of all, our God deserves our total and uncompromised respect, adoration, and worship. We owe Him our everything and yet we so often treat Him as if He was just a commonplace person like you and me. Yes, Jesus became man and remained fully God. He became one of us, yet remained God, and this is all the more the reason to worship our God with awe and reverence. This is why we do our liturgical practices and other traditions, to show Him our love and respect. Glory be to God!