Mighty to Save

The past few weeks have been an emotional and spiritual roller coaster for me as the summer winds down and I start to get distracted by anything and everything. My walk with the Lord will always be a journey of striving towards a perfection that I will not attain until I reach heaven, but some days are more difficult than others. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained all this, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." What an encouragement to know that Christ took hold of me, and my obedience to him does not determine my salvation but rather because of who he is I will serve him.

My mind set used to be(and very often still is) that I served the Lord because he loved me. While that's all fine and dandy I want to serve him for who he is, not what he does. For so long I have used the Lord as my "Mr. Fix it" I run to him to solve my problems. The Bible was my "How to live a happy fulfilled life for dummies" book. What I've discovered is that I know nothing about the amazing God I serve. If I knew and worshiped him truly I wouldn't care about my own life in the self absorbed way I do. I would love others in the way that the Lord pours his love on me.

This morning I was reading in the Psalms and was so encouraged by the attributes of God expressed in Chapter 118:1-17. It reads,
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever.
Let Israel say: "His love endures forever."
 Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever."
In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
 The LORD is with me: I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
 The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
 I will look in triumph on my enemies.
 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in Princes.
All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.
I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous; "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
 The LORD's right hand is lifted high; The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done."

How much the Lord does for us! The rest of the chapter is amazing and I encourage you to read the rest and sit, stand, bow, or whatever else in awe of who God is. The bigger my picture of God the better I worship.