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, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your life is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
How often have we felt sad and abandoned? How many times have we felt our lives have become meaningless? How often have we found no reason to give thanks to God? This is not as it should be.
In those circumstances, weighted down with our sins and supposed grievances, we need to look up. We need to withdraw for a time and begin a process of regeneration. In order to continue our flight, we may have to address hurtful memories and old habits -- often, a painful process. Part of our renewal is remembering what God has already done for us. Pride, however, makes us ungrateful and forgetful. To counter this, the psalmist draws on his thoughts, memories, and emotions in offering adoration. He understands his life is actually full of reasons to give thanks and praise God and he encourages himself to do so.
We receive an abundance from God every day, such as life, health, and material goods. These blessings rejuvenate us like the eagle, granting us vitality and renewed purpose. How much more should we praise God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ? Emptying Himself, Jesus laid His life down as a sacrifice on our behalf -- wholly acceptable to God the Father. Through His obedience, we now have redemption and the forgiveness of our sins.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!
THE PRAYER: Lord, we lift up our prayer of thanksgiving to You. Renew our strength and bless us, and help us not forget Your rich and everlasting benefits! Amen.
Biography of Author:
This devotion was written by Guillermo Herigert, a Lutheran pastor in Uruguay. As a Lutheran Hour Ministries' volunteer, he works with LHM - Uruguay, a ministry established in 1999 serving this country of more than three million from its office in Montevideo.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Job 1-2 Matthew 7
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