Grace

"Stumbled" on this passage this morning. Love that God knows just what I need when I need it.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. 
Bless the Lord, and forget none of His benefits;

who pardons ALL your iniquities,
who heals ALL your diseases;
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion
who satisfies your years [desire] with good things,

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle...."


I love that God puts ALL and your in these verses. There is no sin too great for Him to forgive. And He forgives my sin. It's both all-encompassing and personal. Wow!
And I love the verbs: pardon, heal, redeem, crown, satisfy. I want those verbs to sink in deep into my mind and heart. That's what Christ has done and is doing in me and for me, and I pray, through me!


"The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness....

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, 
so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust."

I think it's one of the greatest comforts for me to know that God knows I'm a screw up, yet He still has compassion on me. He still loves me, pursues me, and forgives me. It's a struggle daily to believe that, and I don't think I'll ever fully understand that until I'm face to face with Him, but I'm grateful.

I'm grateful for the truths of Ephesians 1-2 that remind me that He chose me before the foundation of the world. Before I did anything right or wrong, good or bad, He set His affections on me and chose to lavish me with His grace. While I was a child of wrath and dead in my sins, He died for me and raised me to life with Christ and seated me in the heavenly places where He reigns, as if I had never done anything wrong.

What amazing love and grace.

And it's all according to the kind intention of His will and all for the praise of the glory of His grace.

May we live to proclaim that good news of a gracious God who saves!