Psalm 103
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits...

I'm a forgetful man. I forget to take out the trash. I forget to return phone calls. My dad's birthday was last week (he turned 117). Sure enough, I forgot. But more seriously, I forget the blessings of God, which is why I so appreciate Psalm 103. The Psalmist knows that we're quick to forget the many blessings of God and so he reminds us to "forget not all his benefits". We must daily call to mind the many lavish ways that God has blessed us or we're doomed to forget them. What are some of these blessings?

who forgives all your iniquity...

How merciful God has been to us! He's forgiven ALL of our iniquities. Ponder the glories of this truth for a moment. Every sin I've ever committed has been forgiven by God. My "little" sins, and my great perversities. Gone. Forever. Washed away in that great crimson flood that flowed from the cross. Jesus was crushed beneath the awful weight of my iniquities so that God could extend the hand of forgiveness.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

who heals all your diseases...

In addition to having my sins forgiven, I've been healed of the disease of sin. I was once a slave to sin, ruled by my sinful passions, unable to love what was truly good. I was a miserable, hopeless, helpless slave of sin, and I had no hope of escape. Apart from divine intervention, I was doomed to a life of increasing misery and an eternity. But God intervened! He turned my heart of stone to a heart of flesh, and now I have the vibrant, pulsing, joy-giving life of God within me.

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy...

Because I am God's child, my life is now full of the love and mercy of God. Each morning I awake to new mercies. What a wondrous thought! Each day I am guaranteed the extravagant mercy of God. I can get out of bed each morning, knowing that I will soon be encountering the mercies of God. God has been so kind to me.

What about you? Have you forgotten the many mercies of God? Have you forgotten his innumerable blessings? If you lack joy, it's likely that you've forgotten the many blessings of God. As you go about your day, remember the specific blessings that God has shown to you. Recall your salvation. Recall the many kindnesses you've experienced from the hand of God. Experience fresh joy today by remembering.

What if I told you that from the moment you wake up tomorrow only good things will happen to you for the rest of your life? Not one single bad thing will ever happen to you again. You’ll be stalked by kindness and blessings. Would that put a little zip in your step?

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. Jeremiah 32:40

What an astounding promise. God has made a covenant to never cease doing good to his redeemed children. And Jesus Christ has instituted and sealed this covenant with his blood.

No expiration date

God’s promise doesn’t have a limited warranty. There’s no expiration date. God doesn’t do us good until we’re tough enough to take him doing some bad to us. His covenant will continue throughout the ages. God will do us good all day today, tomorrow, next week, next year, and from age to age.

This means that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, God is relentlessly blessing us who have called on Christ to save us. He’s blessing us while we’re munching on our morning toast and sitting in rush hour traffic. He's heaping good on us while we’re feeding the kids and sweeping up the Cheerios around the baby’s high chair. He's lavishing grace on us as we lug the millionth basket of laundry up the stairs for the week or plunge out the kids’ tissue-clogged toilet. He even does us good as we slumber in our beds each night. While we are blissfully snoring away, God is providentially orchestrating his universe to bring us good - directing his angels, moving nations and world events, shifting the weather, working in both righteous and evil people, and causing even the demons’ evil schemes to bring us blessing.

Bound and determined

God never tires of blessing us. He doesn’t take a break or change his mind. Nothing turns him away, not even our sins, failures and weakness. His kindness is not contingent on our performance but on his grace. He is unflinching, dogged, bound and determined to shower his love on us.

A couple years ago I visited Niagara Falls. 35 million gallons of water cascade over the edge every minute. No one could possibly resist the sheer force and volume of this deluge. Blood-bought believers stand beneath the torrent of God's goodness every moment. We can't turn his goodness away any more than we could turn Niagara Falls away.

Heavenly bounty hunter

If you have trusted in Jesus Christ, God’s kindness and mercy are chasing you like some kind of heavenly bounty hunter. They're going to find you. God will not be thwarted. He’ll never deviate or desist from persistently blessing you. He’s stubborn in his goodness. God even designs the seemingly “bad” things that happen to us for our ultimate good. While Joseph’s brothers intended to harm him, God intended to bless him through their sinful actions. Ultimately, nothing bad can happen to you who belong to Christ, because God is covenant-bound and determined to do you good day after day, moment by moment.

Believe it, and give him abounding thanks.