585-Do Not Forget All His Benefits#
(JP Text Group - Shalom Organization)
Peace, dear family, welcome to your arrival. Today is Sunday, and we will look at God's word together.
The topic of the sharing is: Do Not Forget All His Benefits.
Let's first read this passage of scripture, Psalm 103:1-5:
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul! And forget not all His benefits! 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Let us pray first
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such a wonderful time to come before Your word. Through the sharing of Your word, You also grant us the grace we need at this moment. We are willing to live with Your strength as we begin this new week, and You provide for us through Your word, giving us strength. Thank You and praise You, Lord. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
People tend to remember the hurts inflicted by others in the past or the grievances they have suffered; the easiest things to forget are the benefits others have given us. Similarly, it is the same with God; people often remember their suffering but rarely reflect on the comfort God has provided.
In this article, David gives us a beautiful example by encouraging us to often think about the grace God has given us. This must be the words of someone who has experienced it. David was someone who had experienced God's salvation countless times; he had received so much grace from God and knew he was a blessed person, so he expressed gratitude to God. This passage reflects the gratitude of a blessed person towards God.
Verse 1 says: 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Only those who have experienced God's salvation and encountered God in their lives will have such dialogue. This is a conversation one has with oneself, not something spoken to others or said in a gathering, but a monologue directed at one's own heart when no one else is around.
O my soul, it is as if this person outside is speaking to another person inside, saying, "Bless the Lord!" This is not mere verbal praise but the words David spoke to his own heart.
You must bless the Lord! And all that is within me must bless His holy name! This indicates that every time David recalls the many experiences in his life, he does not think about how much suffering or danger he has endured; instead, he thinks about how many times God has saved him. Each time he remembers God's salvation, his heart is filled with gratitude.
In fact, this is something we need to learn. If we can often remember the help and provision others have given us, our lives will be filled with gratitude. If we can frequently remember the grace God has given us, we will be like David, continually praising our God, and this praise will come from within. Every time David thought of God, he was able to express gratitude from his heart, which is why he said, "All that is within me." This refers to his inner being, his thoughts and intentions, all must bless God's holy name.
Hebrews 13:15 says: Through Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
How should we express our gratitude to God? First, you must have a genuine experience with God. If you are a new believer, you should thank God through Jesus. Because in the past, we were sinners living in a fallen world, and ultimately our lives would return to nothing; but because of Jesus, everything is different now.
Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross to cleanse us from all our sins. Through Jesus, our lives belong to God; we are sanctified by God and become His children. Once this relationship is established, our lives are filled with God's promises, and as long as we are willing, we can draw upon God's promises to live.
No matter what happens, we can call out to Him, and our Father in heaven will answer our prayers and listen to our cries. Therefore, we have become people of hope, and all of this is because of the work Jesus accomplished on the cross for us. Every time we think of Jesus, we should thank our God, but in reality, our God does not require us to offer sacrifices to Him.
Now that we are in the New Covenant, if we truly want to offer sacrifices to God, we should do so by offering praise as a sacrifice to God, which is to thank Him from our hearts. How do we thank Him? By recognizing that our lives have been saved by God. If last week God helped you a lot in your life and provided abundantly, you should see and know that this is God's work.
For example, if you are in business and God has given you many clients, increasing your income, you should know that this is God's provision for you. Because of Jesus, He is willing to bless you, so you should offer praise as a sacrifice to God, saying, "Lord, everything I have today is a blessing from You, and I am willing to offer my thanks as a sacrifice to You."
This is why every week we come to God's house to express our gratitude. Because our lives have been preserved until now, our bodies are still healthy, and we lack nothing in life; all of this is God's provision for us, and we ought to express our thanks to Him. This is the sacrifice that pleases God, which should come from the heart.
It is not because today is Sunday, and we have to go to church to worship God because our God wants us to worship Him this way, so we do it. No, it is because we willingly want to do this. We truly know that God is a God of blessings and that He has already blessed us, so we are willing to offer praise as a sacrifice to our God. Moreover, we often acknowledge in our lives that all our blessings come from God; this is the fruit of our lips acknowledging His name.
Unbelievers, when they receive benefits and blessings, often think it is the result of their own efforts; but we do not see it this way. We believe that all of this is the blessing given to us by our Father. David understood this deeply because he started as a forgotten shepherd boy. If God had not lifted him up to become the king of Israel, his life might have ended there.
This is why every time David calmed himself, he always wanted to praise God because he knew that all his achievements today were blessings from God. He was willing to praise God from his heart, praising His life. Thank the Lord.
May we, brothers and sisters, continually see God's work in our lives. Every day, when we experience God's peace and joy, we should express our gratitude to God. Many people testify that they were healed from illness, and they thank God; God turned their finances around, and they thank God. These are the blessings we can see.
But what about other things? For example, God has continually kept your peace; shouldn't we thank God for that? God has kept your life free from major storms; shouldn't you thank God for that? These are parts we need to see with spiritual eyes.
It is not only when we experience physical pain and are healed that we thank God. Peace is a greater blessing because God has continually kept your peace, joy, and health. We should express our gratitude to our Lord with our lips, offering praise as a sacrifice to our God.
So every time you come to church, express your praise and gratitude to God from your heart. We are not just singing; we are sincerely thanking our God because He has kept us safe today, allowing us to come once again into His house to offer praise to Him. This is God's grace.
Moreover, He will keep us receiving His grace and continue to experience His goodness. You come to God's house not to know how depraved you are, nor to know that you are a sinner; you can know that without coming. You come to God's house to know how graciously God treats you, that His grace is upon you. Therefore, you should continually offer praise as a sacrifice to our God through Jesus.
Every time we come into God's house, we need to reflect on the grace God has given us and think about all the blessings Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Thank the Lord; this is something we need to think about often.
In verse 2 of this passage: 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul! And forget not all His benefits!
David was a person who often thought of God's grace; he dared not forget because he knew that everything he had, including his life, was given by God. If it were not for God's protection, he might have long ceased to exist. David was not someone people disliked; on the contrary, he was outstanding in many ways. He worked diligently and was able to do things well, and everyone liked him. It was precisely because he was so outstanding that King Saul could not tolerate him, saying, "You are too excellent; you keep me awake at night."
It was David's excellence that brought him much trouble, and he knew that all of this was given to him by God. It was not that he had to be this way; he just wanted to continually experience God's grace in his life. Thank the Lord. Unfortunately, King Saul did not rely on God. When he saw God's grace upon David, he was deeply troubled and wanted to destroy David, yet he never relied on God. What a pity.
But David knew that all of this was God's grace, so he did not hate Saul. Instead, he continually sought grace from God, asking God to protect his life because he knew that if he were ever caught by Saul, his life might be lost. Indeed, he experienced many such dangers in his life, but God always kept him safe. Therefore, every time he reflected on God's work in his life, his heart was filled with gratitude.
In fact, we should be the same. We cannot ask the Lord to eliminate all those with bad intentions; such people still exist in the world today. But what can we do? We can pray to Him, calling out to our Lord, asking Him to protect us from the snares of those who seek to trap us.
You must know that no matter what industry you are in, there are always those who cast nets to catch people, wanting to harm others for their own benefit. Because they are worldly people who do not know God's grace, they seek to seize the blessings of others. But we do not need to be like that; we must know that all our grace comes from God, and it is our Lord who gives it to us. We do not need to covet the benefits of others; we can simply pray to God.
But if someone wants to covet our benefits and set traps to catch us, that is not acceptable. We pray to God to protect us. Just as David prayed, God saved him time and again from trouble. Therefore, every time David looked back on his life, he did not see how much danger he encountered; instead, he saw how many times God saved him from peril, and his heart was truly grateful to God.
So he said: O my soul, bless the Lord! And forget not all His benefits!
Do not forget what God has done for us, and do not forget all the help and grace He has given us. Hallelujah. Only those who do not forget all of God's benefits will be filled with gratitude towards Him, and only such people will continue to experience God's grace. In fact, God gives many benefits to the world, but not all people remember and are grateful to God. The Israelites are a common example; God made a covenant with the Israelites to bless them, while also giving them some requirements, one of which was that they should not forget the grace God had given them and should not forget God's statutes and commandments.
Deuteronomy 8:11-16:
11 "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today; 12 lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and a thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end."
From this passage, we can see that God made a covenant with the Israelites, which included keeping His commandments, judgments, and statutes.
Why did God want the Israelites to keep His words? Because people are prone to rely on God in times of difficulty and hardship, when they have nothing and are in pain, they can continually pray to God. Often, in another situation, when people have everything and are fully satisfied, they forget God. Once a person has such a mindset, pride will come, and with pride comes destruction.
God does not want the Israelites to reach such a state, which is why He said these words: "Beware." Dear family, whenever the Bible says "beware," it is something we must pay attention to; it is a mistake that almost everyone can make. What does God tell the Israelites to beware of? "Lest you forget the Lord your God." Some may say, "How is it possible? How could the Israelites forget God? They experienced so many miracles and were saved by God multiple times; how could they forget?"
But what is the reality? When they entered the land of Canaan, they indeed cast aside God's words and did not believe them; they lived well relying on themselves. They truly forgot God and did not keep His commandments, judgments, and statutes. In fact, God wanted the Israelites to keep His words to continue blessing them, but once the Israelites received even a little blessing, they no longer wanted God's words.
This is why, when we look at the history of Israel, it is mostly filled with suffering. It is because they received a little benefit and then began to rely on themselves, forgetting God's words, and immediately various sufferings came upon them. These sufferings were not sent by God; they were the result of their own ignorance of who they were. Even before these things happened, God repeatedly reminded them to be cautious.
Verse 12 makes it very clear: "Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them, and your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; then your heart will be lifted up, and you will forget the Lord your God."
This is a common human flaw; when one has everything, they begin to feel proud, thinking, "I earned all of this myself; how could it be God's blessing?" They forget God and also forget all the various benefits God has given them in the past.
After the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, they no longer remembered the suffering they had endured in the past, nor did they remember how God brought them out of the house of bondage in Egypt, leading them through that terrible wilderness, saving them time and again from various dangers. In the wilderness, they had seen water come from the rock and experienced God's various salvations, but now they had forgotten all of that; in the wilderness, they had eaten manna, but they no longer remembered it because they only remembered the many things they had at present, such as beautiful houses, being full, and having many cattle and gold, forgetting all the various blessings God had given them in the past.
God reminded them to experience these things to hope they would know that it was God who gave them everything they had. If people can always remember this saying: "Everything I have today comes from God; all these benefits are given to me by God," if a person has such a heart of reverence and gratitude towards God, they will continually receive God's blessings and ultimately enjoy blessings, which is to continually enjoy God's grace. Therefore, the example of the Israelites is worth our reference.
Today, indeed, many Christians have experienced some of God's grace in their lives, but later they have lost it. We need to reflect on whether we have forgotten God's grace and started relying on ourselves, which led to failure. This has nothing to do with how many years one has believed.
Many people say, "I have believed for so many years; why doesn't God bless me?" No, God is always willing to bless us. What we need to consider is whether we have forgotten God's grace and have been relying on ourselves. The Israelites did not do this because we are blaming them; they indeed did such things.
Psalm 106:7-15:
7 Our fathers did not understand Your wonders in Egypt; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea. 8 Yet He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. 10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11 The waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left. 12 Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. 13 They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, 14 but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. 15 And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.
This passage tells us the reasons behind the Israelites' terrible outcomes. God is willing to bless them; their ancestors suffered in Egypt because they did not understand God's grace and did not remember His abundant mercy.
So, dear brothers and sisters, when we encounter various sufferings, it precisely indicates that we have forgotten God's grace. If you often remember God's grace, you are in God's grace. If a person forgets God's grace and only remembers their own actions, they have already fallen into suffering, and curses will soon come upon them. The Israelites are the best example; they did not remember God's abundant mercy, and later God sent Moses to rescue them from Egypt, performing many miracles, yet they still could not remember; they had a very short memory, and when they reached the Red Sea, they began to complain.
Did they forget how many miracles God performed in Egypt? People are indeed very forgetful, and we should take the Israelites as a warning. But God still saved them, demonstrating His mighty power by parting the Red Sea, allowing them to pass through. This was another great miracle, a tremendous salvation. However, it only lasted three days; they quickly began to complain again. Isn't this forgetting God's grace?
The waters drowned their enemies, and not one of them remained; what a great salvation! After the salvation, they believed in God, singing praises to Him. But it only lasted three days; they forgot God's works and did not look to His counsel. How unfortunate! This is the true nature of humanity. This is why we must emphasize that we should often think of God's grace and not forget all His benefits. The Israelites forgot all of God's benefits because they only focused on the present. When they had no blessings at that moment, they began to complain, testing God multiple times in the wilderness, which was precisely because they forgot all of God's benefits.
So they despised God's manna; when they wanted meat, God gave it to them. He granted them their request but sent leanness into their souls. The original meaning of this phrase is that He allowed their souls to become weak.
What does it mean to have a weak soul? It means forgetting all of God's benefits. How could the Israelites have weak souls? Because their eyes were set on earthly things. God had given them the best food, manna; if their souls were strong and they saw God's great grace from a spiritual perspective, they would not have tested God by asking for earthly food.
Think about it; God gave you the best, but you do not want this and insist on seeking that earthly thing. This shows a lack of spiritual insight. We should not mock the Israelites for making such foolish choices; today, how many people make similar choices? They set aside God's words and insist on seeking human help, which is unfortunate. This is also giving up the best blessings to pursue a little bit of earthly blessing.
For example, I often tell everyone, "You must take time every day to read the Bible and listen to sermons." Many people say, "I have no time; I need to study my professional knowledge, run my business, and find ways to earn more money." Do you see? They are giving up God's best blessings to choose the quail meat of the earth. You must know that quail meat pales in comparison to manna; manna provides all the necessary vitamins and nutrients, while quail meat only satisfies hunger to a limited extent.
But the Israelites only saw this point; God still gave it to them but allowed their souls to become weak. Their hearts were in this position; if they were unwilling to turn back, what could God do? Just like some people are unwilling to listen to the word or attend gatherings, can God destroy them? No, He can only allow them to remain in their weak souls. But if one day they remember God's salvation in their suffering and call out to God, He will still save them immediately. This is our Lord; what a great God.
Verse 3: He forgives all your iniquities, He heals all your diseases.
In Psalm 103, the word "all" is used five times, indicating that God's salvation is complete, and His deliverance is also complete. Everything you need is available from God, such as the forgiveness of sins. Today, there is a peculiar teaching that says Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross only to forgive part of our sins, leaving some that we must deal with ourselves.
This teaching is in conflict with this passage. Because David makes it very clear: He forgives all your iniquities. This "all" is not what we think of as all, but what God considers all.
If God only forgave most of our sins and left a small part for us to cleanse ourselves, then that would not be called forgiving all our sins. Because if there is one sin left unpaid, we are still sinners. But what do we believe? We believe in justification by faith, which means that Jesus on the cross has paid the price for all our sins. If one sin remains unpaid, then a person still deserves to go to hell and cannot enter the kingdom of heaven or be called righteous. Only when all our sins, all iniquities, are cleansed by Jesus can we be called righteous.
This is a very crucial and important message of salvation. You need to think about how Jesus on the cross has forgiven all my sins, all the sins of my life, past, present, and future. When you know that the Lord Jesus has redeemed us from all our sins and forgiven all our transgressions, your heart will have faith in God.
You will know that you can stand before God without fear and receive all His grace. If a person does not know that all their sins have been forgiven, and they know that some sins remain unpaid, they will avoid God. Just like Adam and Eve, when they sinned, and God sought them, they hid because they had sinned.
Do you know how many people still hide from God today? That is because they feel that some of their iniquities have not been settled, so they hide from God, afraid that He will demand their sins. In reality, this is a lie. Jesus has already settled all our iniquities on the cross. When you understand all this, you should think more about it. When you think more about Jesus and the redemptive work He accomplished on the cross, faith arises, and you will understand the Father's love and Jesus' salvation, and the power of healing will also arise.
As your confidence in God's salvation grows, and your assurance of His forgiveness increases, you will no longer doubt. The more you think about these things, the stronger your faith will become, and receiving healing will become extremely simple. Hallelujah. Have you noticed how simple it is for Jesus to heal people? Was there any patient who was healed only after Jesus fasted for three days? So why did Jesus have such great faith? Because He believed all the words of the Father and completely obeyed all His words. At the same time, He did not forget all the benefits of the Father; the Father's grace is manifested through Jesus in this world. Therefore, when we see Jesus, we know that God's grace has come to this world.
Luke 9:1-2:
1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases, 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
This is the authority Jesus gave to His disciples. Jesus called His twelve disciples together, gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. Think about it; isn't this God's grace?
What did the disciples do when they received such grace from Jesus? Did they try hard to please Jesus? It seems not. They simply believed in Jesus and were willing to follow Him, and Jesus gave them this power and authority. The disciples believed in Jesus' grace, so they went out with this grace to subdue all demons and heal various diseases. Hallelujah. Therefore, when Jesus sent the disciples out, He had already given them power and authority. We are children of God and already possess this power and authority. You can subdue all demons and heal various diseases; this is the authority God has given you.
Verse 2 says: 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Preaching the gospel is done with power; they are sent by God to tell the world that the kingdom of heaven has come to this earth, allowing them to live with the power of the kingdom. We should not complain about how society is; we should not complain about the poor environment. What we need to see is that God's grace has come to this earth, and we should receive God's grace and live.
Even if this land is filled with curses and various deceptions of the world, you can overcome it by relying on God's grace. Because the power and authority Jesus gave to the disciples are also given to you today; the Holy Spirit dwells within you, and you can rely on the Holy Spirit's power to overcome in this world and once again experience God's grace. Amen.
Acts 5:12-16:
12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. 15 So that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
The Lord performed many signs and wonders through the apostles. You can see this as God bestowing grace through the apostles upon the people. Thank the Lord. As you listen to the word, God is using my mouth to bring His grace upon you, and you can receive this grace and live, and this grace can transcend time and space. No matter where you are listening, as long as you believe, you will receive God's great power.
Are you willing to receive this grace now? Once you receive it, do not forget God's grace; continue to receive it. You should think about Jesus' power and the power demonstrated by Jesus' disciples. They were all sent by the Holy Spirit and used by the Holy Spirit. You also have the Holy Spirit within you, and you should live by the power of the Holy Spirit, witnessing God's grace manifesting in your life.
Do not envy the great things the disciples did as recorded in the Bible; today, the Holy Spirit is also working in your life. As long as you believe and think often about the redemptive power of Jesus on the cross, you can receive such faith and strength to witness His goodness.
Verse 4: 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
The redemption mentioned here refers not only to the redemption of spiritual life. Indeed, at the moment we believe in Jesus, our lives belong to Jesus Christ, and we are people of the kingdom. This is very simple; those who believe receive it. Another more important part is that when our earthly lives are threatened, when we encounter suffering and distress, He can also redeem us.
David was someone who had been saved by God from death many times. He said he had walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and he had been on the brink of death many times, often finding himself with no way out, yet God still saved him from death. David remembered these things.
Indeed, we find it hard to forget matters of life and death throughout our lives. Even worldly people are like this; for example, your lifesaver—can you ever forget them? Yes, because it is so deeply etched in your memory. Without their rescue, our lives would have ended.
David had been saved by God many times, so he did not think, "Why is my life so bitter? Why do I always encounter such strange things?" He did not complain; instead, he saw God's repeated redemptions and recognized God's grace.
So, dear family, if you are also encountering various difficulties in your life, do not complain; rely on God's grace to overcome these sufferings and problems. You can think like David, reflecting on God's repeated salvations and all His benefits. Because our God crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
What is a crown? It is a crown, a thing that makes you worthy of praise; that is the crown. For example, if we participate in a sports event and win first place, that is the crown. Whenever we talk about it, we will remember that crown.
What does God give you? Lovingkindness—God gives His love to you as a crown. Can you often wear God's love? Always think about how much God loves you. Surely there is, but you may have forgotten it now. If you remember it, your heart will be filled with gratitude.
This is why I tell brothers and sisters that if you have a testimony in your life, such as God rescuing you from suffering, healing you from illness, or turning your life around, you must record such testimonies and give them to me, and I will record them for you. Because if we do not write them down, we will forget them. So while we have not forgotten, we should record them; otherwise, we will truly forget. This is a very good method.
David must have recorded all of God's salvations for him. Whenever he had free time, he would look back at what God had done for him, and he would see God's repeated salvations. This is God's love crowned upon David's head.
And what else? Tender mercies. What does tender mercy mean? It is not because of our good behavior that God's grace comes upon us, but because He is a merciful God, He bestows His grace upon us, becoming our crown. Thank the Lord; look at how wonderful our God is. As long as you are willing to follow Him and believe in Him, He is willing to continually add His grace upon you.
Psalm 37:39-40:
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked, and saves them because they trust in Him.
The righteous are saved, which means those who believe in God. We can be saved because we believe in God, and His salvation has come upon us.
He is their strength in the time of trouble. He is our protection, our stronghold. The Lord helps them and delivers them from the wicked, simply because these righteous people trust in Him.
Are we willing to trust our God in everything? Every time we encounter something in life, we should call upon God, using God's principles to solve problems, resolving issues according to what God says. You must know that everything happening in the world has templates in the Bible, so there are solutions.
This is why we encourage everyone to read the Bible; only by reading and memorizing it can you know how to use God's words to solve problems when they arise. Otherwise, if you have never read God's words, even if I say, "That's right; we should use God's words to solve all problems in life," you still won't know how to solve them.
So here is a suggestion for everyone. First, read the Bible in order; second, listen to our sermons in order. That is enough. If you can persist in doing this, wisdom will arise, and you will know what to do when you encounter problems. Isn't that simple? Yes, as long as you can persist in doing it and often think about God's words, you will experience God's grace more, just like David. Amen.
Verse 5: 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
When a person often thinks about God's grace, they will not become greedy. When this person continually reflects on God's grace, they will often be filled with gratitude and have a heart of contentment. Similarly, if a person forgets God's grace, they will fall into discontent.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11:
10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them; so what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes?
Solomon, through his experience, tells us that if a person forgets God's grace and relies on themselves, it ultimately leads to vanity. Because how much silver can a person love and be satisfied? They will never be satisfied. How much abundance can a person love and be satisfied? They will never be satisfied because it is a bottomless pit.
How much money do you think you will be satisfied with? It seems like never; how much material blessing do you think you will be satisfied with? It seems like that cannot happen either. Solomon spent his whole life without being satisfied; the difference lies in the increase of goods and how much there is.
When you work for someone else, you are only responsible for your part. From the boss's perspective, when more employees are hired, more people need to eat, more salaries need to be paid, and more work needs to be done. What benefit does the owner gain? Many times, they are just paying employees to work; it is merely a visual observation, a larger flow of money, and nothing more. They often do not gain anything themselves. So what is the point of being busy?
Therefore, dear family, David tells us that God satisfies your mouth with good things. Thank the Lord. Unless you see God's provision, people will not be content.
Psalm 65:2-4:
2 O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them. 4 Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.
How can people be content? By seeing God's provision, by seeing the various blessings in God's holy temple, they will be spiritually content, and only then will they be materially content. Therefore, let your spiritual life be enriched first, placing God's words in your heart, often thinking about all that God has given you, and you will find contentment. Thank the Lord.
Why do people continually accumulate wealth? Because they are afraid, afraid of losing, and they have no provision. But you are different; you have provision. So no matter how much or how little you have now, you know that God will continually provide, so you do not worry or fret. Thank the Lord.
People do not know God's grace, which is why they lack a heart of contentment. If you often think about all of God's benefits, you will have a heart of contentment, and God will satisfy your desires with good things, renewing your youth like the eagle's.
Renewing youth is another blessing God gives us. The eagle is the longest-living bird in the world, with a lifespan that can reach seventy years. To live such a long life is already much more than other animals can be content with. However, when it reaches forty years of age, it must make a difficult yet important decision. At forty, its claws begin to age and cannot effectively grasp prey.
Secondly, its beak becomes long and curved, almost touching its chest, severely hindering its ability to eat. Thirdly, its wings become very heavy, with feathers that are thick and heavy, making it very laborious to fly. At this point, the eagle has two choices: the first is to wait for death, and the second is to undergo a painful renewal process.
If it chooses the latter, it must fly to a steep and high cliff, finding a safe place where no other birds or beasts can go, and stay there for about half a year. First, it must strike its sickle-shaped beak against the rock repeatedly until the beak, along with the skin and flesh, falls off. Then it must quietly wait for a new beak to grow. Once the new beak grows, it must use it as a pair of pliers to pull out all the old claws from its feet. After the claws grow back, it must pluck out all the old feathers one by one.
This entire process takes nearly half a year. Once the new feathers grow back, the eagle begins to fly again, and it can live for another thirty years. This is a very difficult choice, requiring the eagle to completely give up everything from its past and start anew. Is our life not similar?
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Yes, God has given us life, but how do we make our lives, thoughts, and intentions become new? You need to continually renew yourself with God's words. Just as the eagle uses its newly grown beak to renew its claws and feathers, it must remove the old and allow the new to grow.
May our brothers and sisters have this new mindset to face our lives, so that your life will be filled with God's grace. Thank the Lord, and may today's sharing bring some help to everyone.
Let us pray together
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such words today, reminding us not to forget all Your benefits. Your grace is in our lives; every day we need to see Your grace so that we can have a heart of contentment. This way, we will have the faith and wisdom to face life. We do not want to rely on ourselves anymore because in the past, when we did not know You, relying on ourselves led to failure most of the time. Today, we are willing to live relying on the victorious Jesus.
A new week has begun, and I believe Your grace is already prepared. I am willing to often think of Your grace and enter into life with this grace, expecting beautiful things to happen in my life. Let me also become a channel of this blessing, able to help those around me. Thank You and praise You, and all glory will be given to You. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.