All His Benefits

On Sunday morning, a man in Church read a portion of scripture that is very familiar to me. I could quote along, and I've always assumed the meaning until this past Sunday morning. Psalm 103: 1-6 was the passage being read. My mind stopped at the end of the 2^nd verse at the voice of the Spirit. “Forget not all his benefits.”

So I wrote down what I was hearing in my spirit and Sunday afternoon, I started looking things up. I already felt I knew what 'forget' meant but I looked it up. The meaning was expected: to fail to remember or allow to slip from your knowledge; to inadvertently neglect to do, bring or mention something; to put out of one's mind or refuse to consider. As I thought about the quote that morning, I realized that I have always thought of it as “Don't let his benefits slip from your knowledge.” I don't see the putting out of one's mind or refusing to consider his benefits to be the problem in my life. What God spoke to me about Sunday morning was the inadvertent neglect to bring them along in times of stress -when you need them so desperately. I don't choose to leave them behind, but the hurry, the busy, the concern presses me and I too often enter my day or a conflict without bringing them.

One time years ago, I went to the State Art Convention with only the clothing on my back. I remembered cases of stuff to teach workshops, but I forgot my personal luggage. There was little time, but I found time to shop for a couple of pieces to get me through the conference. Once I showed up at camp with no clean underwear. There are things you just don't allow yourself to leave behind. Replacing them is costly, eats into precious time and leaves you unprepared for the accomplishments ahead.

The Psalmist continues by listing important benefits of having the Lord as our companion: forgiveness of sin, healing, redemption, love and compassion as a crown, satisfaction with good provision, youth renewed, righteousness and justice for the oppressed. As I read the list, I thought of times when I have reached a crisis or climax unprepared for all it could have been because I had inadvertently left one or more of these imperative concepts behind. I owned it. I chose it. I valued it. Yet it was missing in that battle.

If I am to fight sin, I must remember that I am forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus, not by any stength of my own. Forgiveness of sin is a benefit of the relationship I have with my Lord. It is a cause to praise him. It should never be laid aside and forgotten when I venture out.

If I am to pray in faith, I must remember that healing came by his stripes, not by my righteousness or labor. It is a benefit of knowing Him and his boundless love.

So many parts of my life and the lives of those who are dear to me are in need of redemption. Jesus paid to buy them back from the thief who took them. I can curse him and stomp my feet and tell him he has no right and he will laugh. But he cannot laugh at the blood of the one who paid to buy them back. Redemption is a benefit of knowing the Lord. I will insert here that I believe redemption is an ongoing process throughout the life of a believer. That said, Jesus has already bought the whole thing though it plays out in time and need.

Love and compassion as a crown. A crown is defined as a symbol of authority. The ability to love without limits and show compassion in the greatest conflict is the symbol of authority of our Lord and savior. He said our love would define us to the world. Love is not that slushy easy feeling between teenagers. Love is not really the affection of family and friends, though it can enter into it. Love is the ability to see and elevate the good of another as our own. It is the deep desire to see others succeed even at great cost to us. It is accepting others without compromise.

An alternate meaning for crown is the highest, most visible point. If you love and show compassion, you will be noticed. Some may call it an easy target, but it's harder to shoot uphill. Learn to see it for the benefit it is. Take it along -always.

Satisfaction with good provision. God is our provider but often we lack satisfaction with and perhaps understanding of that provision. He promises to provide but we so often leave this one on the table because it may not look like what we expect. Can we find satisfaction in the benefit of his provision? Can we wait on the Lord? Can we give praise and honor to our God for the difference in our view and his? Can we believe in his boundless love and perfect goodness when it's different than what we expect or want? Yet the satisfaction is as much a benefit as the provision. So much can be said here about how God's people grumble, but the emphasis is on not forgetting the benefit. It will bring joy; I must take care to bring it along.

Youth renewed as the eagle's is another benefit mentioned by the Psalmist. I've always thought of Moses being 120 years old. His eye was not dimmed nor was his natural force abated. There are other heroes of agelessness. And yet the term “as the eagle's” has often interfered with my understanding while it was obviously meant to shed light on how the benefit of renewal works.

I've heard the “inspirational” piece about the eagle plucking out its feathers and knocking off it's beak and talons so it can be renewed again to live another life span. There are problems with that. The main one is that it is totally unfounded. Yet this time I did some research into how eagles molt.

All birds including eagles molt. Yet eagles molt gradually over the course of a year or so. Old feathers are pulled out or fall out and are replaced one at a time. The beak and talons are made of keratin -our fingernails and hair. They grow constantly. They wear and resurface. They take wounds and fill in. Little by little, need by need, the eagle is renewed and lives a long, strong, and honored life.

I read a story about an eagle that had it's beak shot off. It was rescued and fed small salmon strips with forceps. Eventually a 3-D imaged beak was fashioned out of nylon and fixed into place so the bird could eat and learn to hunt again. The intention was to eventually fit the bird with a titanium beak. The nylon beak fell of as the birds own beak began to grow. As of the writing, the bird was not able to return to the wild, but was improving, living, hunting in a limited capacity, and growing in strength and skill again.

That story spoke to me strongly. The crown of love and compassion is sometimes the avenue our Lord uses to bring the benefit of renewal -spiritually, emotionally, physically. Those in distress need a rescuer. We will find ourselves in both categories at different times in life. God's benefit serves both.

The final benefit mentioned by the Psalmist is righteousness and justice for the oppressed. Perhaps the reason it is mentioned last is because when we bring all these benefits together, things are set right and justice is accomplished. Oppression ceases or is healed. Oppression should never be part of the goal or outcome of one who knows the Lord.

Through the understanding of Grace, these benefits are packed carefully and conscientiously into the mind. Understanding who I am in Christ: forgiven, healed and healing, redeemed and being redeemed, crowned with love and compassion, satiated with good things, renewed daily, moment by moment, need by need, receiving and giving justice for the oppressed so that righteousness can prevail in society, allows me to live a victory and praise based life.

That is an amazing benefit package. Let's not leave any of it behind.