“Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” (Psalm 103:1-5)

Bless the Lord…

The above passage exhorts you to “bless the Lord with all your soul” and “with all that is within you”and to “forget none of His benefits.” Then a wonderful list of His benefits, which you can thank Him for as promises, are described for us to remember. 

And don’t forget His Benefits…

• Who pardons all your iniquities.

• Who heals all your diseases.

• Who redeems your life from the pit.

• Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion.

• Who satisfies your years with good things.

• So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Therefore…

“…always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” (Eph. 5:20)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

God with us!

"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us")” (Matt. 1:23 NIV)

Be strong because God is with you

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9 ESV)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6 ESV)

Observe all Gods commands because He is with you always

“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20 ESV) 

Therefore…

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zeph. 3:17 ESV)

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:39-39 ESV)

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deut. 31:8 ESV)

The above passage is loaded with a number of amazing promises you can stand on. Let’s look at seven things it is saying to us. 

1 - “The Lord Himself…” 

2 – “Goes before you…”

3 – “will be with you…”

4 – “He will never leave you…”

5 – “nor forsake you.”

Therefore…

6. “Do not be afraid…”

7. “Do not be discouraged.”

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (Prov. 16:9 ESV)

The lord establishes your steps with good counsel 

“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Prov. 15:22 ESV) 

The Lord establishes your steps when you follow His purpose 

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Prov. 19:21 ESV)

The Lord establishes your steps when you are diligent and not hasty

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Prov. 21:5 ESV)

Therefore…

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 6:3 ESV)

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” (Prov. 16:3 ESV)

As you think about the future and the new year coming up, remember that the Lord gave the command in the passage above to commit your work to the Lord, and when you do, He promises that your plans will then be established. 

A future and a hope 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 28:11 ESV

The purpose of the Lord will stand

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Prov. 19:21 ESV)

Therefore…

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thess. 5:9 ESV)

“A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word!” (Prov. 15:23 NIV)

Christians should be known for speaking gracious words on God’s behalf! Timely and kind words are powerful and bring healing to the hearer.

Speak wise and gracious words 

 “Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips.” (Eccles. 10:12 NIV) 

“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” (Prov. 15:4 NIV)

A good man speaks from good things stored in his heart

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45 NIV)

Therefore…

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Eph. 4:29 NIV 

Quote

“Imagine what our real neighbors would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. There have been so many stories about the lack of courtesy, the impatience of today's world, road rage and even restaurant rage. Sometimes, all it takes is one kind word to nourish another person. Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish someone. One kind empathetic word has a wonderful way of turning into many.”

-        Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember. 

“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!” (2 Cor. 9:15 NLT)

God’s gift saved the world 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 NIV)

God’s gift to you lasts forever 

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23 ESV)

Quote… 

“In all of my years of service to my Lord, I have discovered a truth that has never failed and has never been compromised. That truth is that it is beyond the realm of possibilities that one has the ability to out give God. Even if I give the whole of my worth to Him, He will find a way to give back to me much more than I gave.“ — Charles Spurgeon

“A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.” (Prov. 29:7 ESV) 

There will always be poor to help

“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” (Deut. 15:12 ESV)

Giving also means to visit the afflicted 

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27 ESV)

Whosoever sows bountifully

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

Quote 

“God judges what we give by what we keep.” — George Mueller

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44 ESV)

Give to those who cannot repay you

“He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14 ESV)

Quote

“I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.” — David Livingstone

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”— Jim Elliot