Our Reading: Psalm 103, Isaiah 12:3-6, & John 15:10

Perspective and attitude make all the difference. We have not had opportunity to meet with David or engage him in conversation, but he has shown us the deepest essence of his heart. David’s heart was sure of God’s heart and because of that every fiber of his being was grateful and reverent. Worship naturally flowed from his innermost being because he meditated upon and did not take for granted the unmerited blessings God had provided.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” v1-2

Have you ever kept a gratitude journal? Apparently David had that habit for he begins to make a list. Included here:

• God forgives our iniquities. (v3) David certainly had great iniquities, including adultery and murder and he understood the blessing of forgiveness. Without God’s forgiveness there could be no other blessings at all for we could not have relationship with God. All sin separates us from God and there is nothing we can do to bridge that gap. Only God can make us holy.
• God heals our diseases. (v3) God does not cure every physical illness or infirmity this side of Heaven. David knew that for God did not spare the life of his infant child. But there is healing in our relationship with God. Only He can heal the pain and affliction of sin upon our hearts, souls, and minds. Sometimes, He may also provide us physical healing in this life.
• God redeems our life from the pit. (v4) David knew dark places and caves where he had to hide from those who wanted to take his life. God protected him and sustained Him in his darkest days. God can sustain us through our trials as well and provide eternal life for us, sparing us the death we deserve.
• God crowns us with steadfast love and mercy. (V4) God favors us. We get His abundant never ending, unchangeable love and mercy. We get to be adopted into His royal forever family.

As we continue to read through this Psalm, we see that David is just getting started. He continues to list out the wonders of God and God’s mercy and favor upon man. I think my favorite verses, however, describe the God who is compassionate toward us, remembering that we struggle, and muck things up and can be bratty, and selfish and ungrateful. He remembers our limitations and He is patient with us. We may fail Him many times over but His love is bigger than any of our limitations. 

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,” (v13‬-‭17‬)

Refection: 

1. Just reading David’s gratitude list lifts my heart. How about yours? Do you think gratitude is necessary to offer true praise and honor to God?
2. What would be included in your gratitude list? Do you make a habit of not forgetting God’s goodness and mercy toward you? Do you tell others?
3. Like a loving father, God disciplines us but He doesn’t give up on us. Does it  encourage you to know that God knows your limitations and loves You anyway? Does that make it easier to repent and seek restoration? 

Prayer: Father, we thank You for Your many blessings and we want to give You praise and adoration that comes from our innermost being. How blessed we are to have a Father who forgives us, disciplines and teaches us and is ever patient and merciful to us. Your forgiveness is beyond our ability to forgive and Your love is beyond our ability to love. May our hearts ever grow to know and trust Your heart. May we join the psalmist in worship: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,”

Our Reading: John 3

Have you ever wished that you could have an intimate face to face conversation with Jesus? What would you want to ask him? Surely, you would seek to have a better understanding about something, perhaps something that didn’t make sense or that peaked your curiosity about the grand scheme of life and the universe. Nicodemus was a very important member of the ruling Jewish council, and he was granted the very special privilege of just such an intimate conversation.

“He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”” (3:2‬)

Jesus knew that Nicodemus thought of him as a teacher and that he was seeking a better understanding of God. But, Nicodemus, like the other Jewish rulers had become too engrossed in rules and regulations ( many of which were man made) to realize that the Jewish people had lost connection with the heart of God. Jesus wasted no time in challenging Nicodemus’ faulty belief system.  He put the spiritual faith of Nicodemus to the test. 

“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”” (3:3‬)‭

Nicodemus doesn’t connect to what Jesus is saying initially but Jesus tells him that he is speaking of a spiritual birth and that he expects him to be able to grasp the concept. “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (3:7‬)

He goes on to say, ‭”The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”” (3:8‬). For someone who thought he was in right standing with God because of all the rules and rituals he followed, I imagine the concept of needing something more, something only available via spiritual transformation was hard for him to wrap his mind around and accept. 

““How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?”  (3:9-10‬). Nicodemus would have been very familiar with the Old Testament scriptures and within those scriptures God had made it clear that He would require spiritual transformation of the heart of man. Man could not keep the Law on his own effort. He would need a spiritual heart change. For example, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel‬ ‭36:25-27‬ )

Notice all of the statements beginning with “I will”. Nicodemus has to understand that in his own efforts, he could not save himself. Jesus challenged Nicodemus to look beyond the tangible rules of the Law to save and to see from the scriptures that it would be a person who would provide this salvation of spiritual transformation. Nicodemus needed more than the Law, he needed to believe in the Son of Man. Throughout the OT is the foretelling of Jesus coming as the Messiah and Jesus gives such an example with its spiritual significance. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”” ‬ ‭(3:14-15‬ )

The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would free them from Roman oppression and set them up as a powerful, elite people. To reconnect Nicodemus to understanding the heart of God, he explains that God loves “all” the people in the world, not just the Jews and has a desire to save “all” of mankind. God is providing a gift, the precious gift of his Son and everyone, including you and I make a choice to accept or reject that gift. The gospel is just that simple.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (3:17-18‬)

If Jesus were to sit down face to face with you and I, I am sure that his most pressing concern would be to relay to our wounded, tired, confused, and fragile hearts that we don’t have to save ourselves with human effort. What we do have to do, however, is make a choice to accept the forgiving grace of God in the form of his Son, Jesus and to allow his Holy Spirit to transform our hearts. 

‭