God With Benefits

Psalm 103:2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”  

When deciding to accept a job offer, one factor that many people consider besides the rate of pay is the benefits. We consider whether the job offers health benefits. We want to know how much vacation time is available each year, whether there is sick pay, and if they offer stock options, pension, or 401k.

If you receive a restaurant job, you might get free food. You might receive free eye exams if you want to work at an eye doctor’s office. Some companies provide office snacks, monthly bonuses, and a dozen paid holidays a year. The benefits usually vary based on the industry you are working in. Similarly, as a believer in Christ, saved by the grace of God, you qualify for All His benefits.

According to Psalm 103 (v.1), God is to be praised, honored and acknowledged for His great benefits toward us. We should also live life being mindful of His grace upon our lives. As believers, verse 3 tells us that the Lord forgives all our iniquities and heals all our diseases. I’m sure we can all think of times when the Lord healed us of many sicknesses and diseases. You may be cancer-free by God’s grace. So many have experienced limbs that grew to the correct length, eyesight being restored, deaf ears being opened, and hearing restored.

Jesus was a walking demonstration of this in the 33 years He also walked the earth. Matthew 4:23-25 speaks of Jesus going into Galilee and healing all manner of sicknesses and diseases that the people had.

Verse 4 speaks of God redeeming us from destruction (saving us from the grave) with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Can you think of a time when the Lord spared your life? There is no way you should be alive because of your situation. Still, by His mercy and lovingkindness, you are still breathing! To God be the glory!

The next verse speaks of the Lord filling our years with good things and renewing our youth like the eagles. What a benefit! God promises not only to give us years of blessings here on earth but also to give us the strength and vitality to enjoy them (like the strength of an eagle).

When the children of Israel looked to enter the promised land and go to war with their enemies, Caleb, a man of God who was 85 years old, said he had the strength of a 40-year-old. I believe the determination to see the fulfillment of God’s promises kept Him young (see Joshua 14:6-15). Someone needs to begin speaking and affirming that by faith as well.

Verse 6 tells us that the Lord will execute righteous judgment on those of His people who are oppressed (under evil authority, rulership, management). You may be dealing with some form of oppression in your life due to a person abusing their power, whether on your job, in your relationships, community, etc. Take to heart that one of the benefits of belonging to God is His execution of judgment and rescue from those who abuse their power.

We are all suffering the consequences of Adam’s offense at the beginning of time. He disobeyed God, and sin and its consequences have been passed down from generation to generation until now. However, Christ came to forgive us of our sins. He also suffered so that we can be healed of our infirmities. He is the cure for the problem Adam caused the world. We can accept Him and enjoy His many benefits. With Him as our savior, we can enjoy the comforts of His Spirit, experience His eternal joy, and live with His compassionate hand as our guide and protector from evil.

You may be thinking, I know someone who loved God yet lost their life due to tragedy, sicknesses, and diseases. I know the feeling myself. However, if they were in Christ, saved by His grace, going on to eternity would be the best thing that could have happened to them. Where they are, there is no more sorrow, pain, sickness, diseases, hardships, betrayal, bankruptcy, or any other effects of evil works on the earth. God fulfilled His promise to them, even by death.

You may have a friend with benefits, but they don’t compare to having God with benefits. The advantages of serving Him far outweigh any temporary pleasure your friend or the world can offer you. Psalm 84:11 says, “…no good thing will He (the Lord) withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

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