Monday, April 18, 2016

Psalm for Sunday, April 24, 2016


Reflections



“The Lord is good to all and
compassionate toward all his works.”


When we reflect on what God has
done for us, we remember that God
has always done good things for us.
That is God's nature. As the Psalm
says, “The Lord is gracious and
merciful and of great kindness.”
And so we pray this psalm to bless,
praise, and exalt the heavenly Father
in his perfection and in his works.

Our psalmist dwells on the everlasting
nature of God, on his love and presence
throughout all time, and we are called
to praise the Lord forever. Our psalmist
reminds us, “The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.”
We know this inherently because we live
our lives with an unending stream of
divine love.

There are times when we may question
why God allows us to suffer, why He allows
“bad things to happen to good people.”
We may ask, as the early believers probably did,
“Why is it necessary to undergo such hardships
to enter the kingdom of God?” (See Acts 14:22)

Afflictions go hand in hand in our walk
with the Lord. We may not understand
what God is up to, but we can be sure that
our faith will be strengthened if we stand
fast in the face of suffering. We will become
better witnesses for Christ as we are humbled.
We become better servants if we bear up
with our difficulties and trust in the Lord,
as our psalmist tells us.

Endurance is a Godly quality and will help
us to get 'yoked' to Jesus. Having done that,
we, like our psalmist David, join with the
faithful and speak of the glory of God's reign
and bless His name.

Amen



Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.   The Psalm says, 'Let all your works give you
thanks, O Lord.'    Are you one of His works?   Tell
of how you give thanks to the Lord and bless Him
as one of His faithful ones.

2.   Our psalmist speaks of the everlasting nature of
God's divine love.   Describe how God's love has helped
you to overcome hardship and get 'yoked' to Jesus.




4 comments:

  1. Rudy H6:41 PM

    The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works:

    The Lord is good to all,.... Which is to be understood not only by the goodness of the Lord to all his creatures, and the works of his hands; but also by the special goodness of Christ. We are all loved by Christ, redeemed by Him, justified and glorified by Him. Hence his Gospel has been sent to all of us, and we are all called by his grace.

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  2. “Afflictions go hand in hand in our walk with the Lord. We become better servants, if we bear up with our difficulties, and trust in the Lord.”

    It may not seem so at the time when you’re dealing with difficulties, but there’s a lesson to be learned. My wife had eye surgery a few weeks ago, and I have been pressed into service as her care giver and chauffeur. Apparently I am a slow learner, because last Friday, she fell and broke a small bone on her left foot. It’s a trial for both of us, but Dear Lord, I am becoming a believer!!!!

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  3. J Kim7:29 AM

    My daily life is an example of God's continued goodness and divine love.

    It is no small thing that God created man in His image... With a mind that is creative and capable of reason. This is how and why we are above animals and plants and other creations.

    And yet, how do we use our minds? God didn't program us like robots, wired to obey him. No, He created us with freedom to choose, even if it pains Him to see us choose unwisely. He already knows how we will sin and rebel and yet, He still loves us everyday. Even while knowing of Judas' upcoming betrayal, Jesus acted with humility and love, washing his feet like He did the other disciples at the Last Supper.

    God is always with us through the Spirit, prompting us to stay on course. Even when we choose to sin, He loves us and waits for us to come to Him in repentance. Poor Judas didn't allow himself that chance, falling into the lies of the enemy that he couldn't be forgiven.

    Let us not be like Judas but more like Peter. While he denied Jesus three times, he understood and accepted God's free gift of grace and mercy. What could be more of an example of God's goodness to us than a continuous supply of love and forgiveness? Amen!!

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  4. I wonder why is it necessary to undergo such hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. I wonder why God allows me to suffer physically, or spiritually and emotionally? Sometimes my burdens seem more than I can bear, and I wonder how I can go on. And also sometimes I could not understand what God is up to.

    But the only thing I am sure about is that God is able to lift me up because He is good, righteous, merciful, compassionate and patient. I know He has done great things for us. Surely He will shepherd me in the midst of suffering.

    If I trust God, and continually bear up with my affliction and difficulties, He will restore me, make me strong, firm, steadfast and help me to be humble. And my faith will be strengthened. I will become a better servant and a witness for Jesus.

    Furthermore, I am assured of an eternal life with Christ where there will be no suffering. I am called to praise, exalt and thank the Lord. He gave me wisdom to seek everlasting life. I praise Him for all that He has done for me.

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