J7

"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." Psalm
103:1-2

Twice here, we are told to bless the Lord. This is a psalm that gets way
down where we live ~ it reveals something in our hearts! We are told to
praise and glorify the Lord

There is a real danger today of going to church, observing the ritual,
and parroting pious attitudes. This is the thing God warned His people
about in Isaiah 29:13: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this
people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me,
but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is
taught by the precept of men." It is nothing more than lip service.
There is no submission to God's Word and His demands. They just follow
the precepts of men.

It is easy to say that liberalism rejects all of the great truths of
God's Word, but if we simply go to church and mouth these truths, it can
also be said of us, "Men worship Me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from Me." This psalm says, "All that is within me, bless his
holy name." The flesh cannot do this ~ flesh cannot rise to that level.
It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can worship the Lord in spirit and
in truth. Let's also not forget "all His benefits." He has been so good
to us ~ how evident this is as we look back over the years.

Day by day we should close our eyes and reflect on our Lord's many
blessings ~ giving Him thanks and praise for His wondrous love. God
Bless You.