Making The Most Of Your Benefits Series

Making the Most of Your Benefits

Psalm 103

How can you make the most of the benefits God has given you?

1.Bless the Lord. (v.1) We can receive more of God’s blessings if we would learn to “Bless the Lord”. Blessing the Lord means we bow the knee and give Him respect, the deepest of reverence and utmost worship. We “bless the Lord”. Often we read bumper stickers, “God Bless America” . God has certainly blessed America, and continues day by day. We pray as we sing that patriotic song, “God Bless America”. The emphasis should be “America Bless God”. The Psalm writer does not say, “Bless the nation, Oh my Lord.” But rather, “Bless the Lord, O my soul;” We can make the most of the benefits from the Lord, when we make much of blessing the Lord.

a. Blessing the Lord begins with you personally. O my soul. (v.1) If you are going to wait on the crowd to get all excited about blessing the Lord, you’ll be waiting a long time. We give God praise because of what He has done for us personally. Of course, we should be thankful for all the benefits God bestows upon others. It has greater meaning when we are personal receipients of God’s benefits.

b. Blessing the Lord demands whole-heart participation. (v.1) All that is within me. The Lord has provided us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. We are not short one blessing. We are not short one benefit. In Jesus God did not hold back His blessings. God gave us His All. Jesus suffered the full extent for the penalty of our sins. Jesus cried on the cross, It is finished! A full salvation, a full pardon was granted, a full atonement for sin. God did not hold back. This demands that we hold not back in giving praise to Christ. All that is within me, bless his holy name.

c. Blessing the Lord is done on holy ground. Bless his holy name. (v.1) There is no other One like our God. No one can equal is character, His person and His ways. The angels mentioned in v.20 are holy beings who cry daily, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah 6:3 The angels in Revelation 15:4 “Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. The cherubim in Revelation 4:8 They do not rest day or night saying, Holy,Holy, Holy, Lord God, Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” His name speaks of His character. It speaks of all that He is. He alone is Omnipotent, which means all powerful. He alone is Omiscient, which means, all knowing. He alone is Omnipresent, which means all present. There is no one like the LORD JESUS CHRIST! HE ALONE IS HOLY. We appropriately bless His holy name when we recognize His holiness. We are on holy ground. God told Moses at the fiery bush…the bush on fire, but it did not burn up..God spoke in an audible voice to Moses. God said, “Moses, take off your shoes, the ground you walk is holy ground.” To make the most of our spiritual benefits, we are to Bless the Lord. A second way to make the most of God’s benefits is to remember what those benefits are.

2.Remember All His Benefits.(v.2) We can make the most of God’s benefits when we recount what they are. Jesus passed by a blind man and gave him sight. Jesus passed by a lame man and gave him feet to walk again. Jesus passed by the sick and gave them healing. Jesus passed by the hungry and gave them food. Jesus passes our way each day. Do we take knowledge of the many benefits He provides? We are guilty of forgetting the benefits as well as forgetting the One who sent them our way. The prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s people forgetting Who it was that has blessed them. In Isaiah 1:2-3 Hear, O heavens, and give ear O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” We are guilty of forgetting the wonderful ways God has blessed us. God help us to not forget. What are some of His benefits?

a. Forgiveness (v.3) He forgives all your iniquities. Not just some of them, or many of them, but ALL of THEM! This is at the top of the list. You can’t enjoy other benefits until you have known Christ, Who has forgiven you. In Jesus according to Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace….