Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children. —Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV
Diligent Soul care is wrapped up in a single word -
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Sandayana
Remembering
is vital to keeping our souls diligetnly.
PSALM 103
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.15 As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul! —Psalm 103:1-22 ESV
“We should never underestimate the magnificent, life-giving blessing that is ours by the fact that God speaks to us.” - Paul David Tripp
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits, —Psalm 103:2 ESV
THE BENEFITS:
He is the God…
..Who Forgives
..Who Heals
..Who Redeems
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. —Colossians 1:13-14 ESV
..Who Crowns us with Love
..Who Crowns us with Mercy
..Who Satisfies us with Good
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things. —Psalm 107:8-9 ESV
..Who Renews our Youth
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. —Isaiah 40:31 ESV
..Who Works Righteousness for the Oppressed
..Who Works Justice for the Oppressed
15 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
17 And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. —Isaiah 32:15-17 ESV
..Who Makes His Ways Known to us
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. —2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ESV
MORE
WITH FEWER PEOPLE EQUALS
KINGDOM IMPACT
..Who is Slow to Anger
..Who is Merciful
..Who is Gracious
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.” —Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV
..Who Abounds in STEADFAST LOVE
..Who Doesn’t Deal with us According to our Sins
..Who Won’t Repay us According to our Iniquities
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. —John 3:16-17 ESV
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9 ESV
..Who Removes our Transgressions AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool. —Isaiah 1:18 ESV
..Who Shows Compassion Like a Father
9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! —Matthew 7:9-11 ESV
..Who Knows Our Frame. Our Frailty
13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. —Psalm 139:13 ESV
..Who Has Established His Throne
..Whose Kingdom rules over all and shall never fail.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore. —Isaiah 9:7 ESV
BLESS THE LORD, OH MY SOUL, INDEED!
Cultivating a lifestyle of gratitude toward God reminds us daily that he was, is, and always will be faithful to his promises in Scripture.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. —1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 ESV
We should look to make
efforts to remind ourselves of God’s amazing grace, and blessings, in our lfe.
4 “Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ —Deuteronomy 9:4 ESV
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” —Joshua 4:1-7 ESV
“It greatly magnifies later mercies to compare them with former mercies, for, by making the comparison, it appears that God is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. Later mercies should bring to remeberance former mercies, and revive our thankfulness for them” - MATTHEW HENRY
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me? —Psalm 56:3-4 ESV
9 Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that[d] God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life. —Psalm 56:9-13 ESV
God’s
cannot be praised with any less than our
.
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster. —Joel 2:12-13 ESV
Look for every opportunity to praise God for the blessings he has given us.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What is one thing that stood out to you from this week’s message?
Have you ever forgotten about a time-sensitive discount or gift card until it was too late? If so, share with the group what you missed out on. How did you feel when you realized your benefit had expired? Did you try to redeem that benefit anyway?
Why do you think people forget about or forget to utilize the benefits they are entitled to through their school or workplace?
Has there been a time that you were ungrateful for a gift you received? Describe why you didn’t appreciate the gift or weren’t thankful to receive it. Reflecting on the circumstances surrounding the gift, would you act the same way if you were in the same position today?
Why doesn’t David want us to forget all the benefits we have received from God? What are the consequences of forgetting?
Have you ever been on autopilot in a worship service? What leads us to go through the motions in worship and give God only lip service without a heartfelt connection to him?
How often do you thank God, no matter the circumstance you find yourself in? Are you more likely to be grateful for the times you receive the benefits from God that make your life more comfortable? Why do you think we don’t thank God when we go through difficult circumstances?
Pause and reflect on who God is and what he has done (or is doing) for you. Take a moment to silently thank God for that thing. If appropriate, share with the group what you are thankful God has done for you.
What is one practical exercise you can do this week to show your appreciation to someone else?