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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 21 December 2025:
Psalm 103:1 — Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
David calls his whole being to attention. Worship is not merely outward forms of expression or emotional overflow but intentional alignment from the depths of our being, loving God with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. The soul must sometimes command itself to remember who God is when circumstances, fatigue, or failure dull spiritual perception. True worship is disciplined gratitude rooted in truth, not mood.
We often praise God casually or halfheartedly – this is not that. This is “all that is within me” praise. When was the last time you did that? Will you do that at church today? “What a rebuke to much of what passes for praise in our assemblies. We come to church, but we leave our minds at home. We hear of God’s grace, but our hearts have been hardened by a critical and carping spirit.” (Boice)
Psalm 103:2 — Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits….
Forgetting is the great enemy of faith. Spiritual drift begins with selective memory. David preaches to himself so that gratitude becomes an act of resistance against entitlement, bitterness, and despair. Remembering God’s benefits realigns the heart toward trust and humility.
Psalm 103:3 — …who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases….
This begins a series of great benefits God brings to His believing people. Forgiveness comes first because sin is the deepest sickness. When the magnitude of our sin and the righteousness of God are understood, this forgiveness is an astonishing reason for praising and honoring God.
Physical healing flows from restored relationship, not merely repaired bodies. David anchors hope not in circumstances but in the covenant mercy of a God who restores the whole person.
“Some suggest that David is speaking about spiritual illness, such as the burdens of sin. But that is not it. I think he really is speaking of diseases. He is saying that when we are healed, as we often are, it is God who has done it. He is the healer of the body as well as of the soul. Therefore, such health as we have been given is a sure gift from God. God should be praised for it.” (Boice)
Psalm 103:4 — …who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
God does not merely rescue; He restores dignity. Redemption lifts a person from destruction and replaces shame with honor. The crown is not earned but bestowed, revealing grace as God’s defining posture toward His people.
Psalm 103:5 — …who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Satisfaction in God renews strength. When desire is rightly ordered, vitality follows. Spiritual exhaustion often comes from seeking fulfillment in what cannot satisfy. God renews those who depend on Him, not those who consume endlessly.
Psalm 103:6 — The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
God is not indifferent to suffering. His justice is active, not theoretical. This verse grounds hope for the vulnerable and accountability for the powerful. Divine justice may be delayed, but it is never absent.
Psalm 103:7 — He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
Knowing God’s acts is not the same as knowing His ways. Miracles impress, but revelation transforms. God invites His people beyond spectacle into relationship, beyond outcomes into obedience.
Psalm 103:8 — The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
This is God’s self-disclosure. Mercy restrains judgment, grace supplies what is undeserved, patience delays wrath, and steadfast love sustains covenant faithfulness. God’s character is the foundation of hope for broken people.
Psalm 103:9 — He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
God’s discipline has purpose, not permanence. His anger is real but not dominant. Restoration, not retribution, is His aim for those who turn to Him.
Psalm 103:10 — He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Grace interrupts deserved outcomes. If God dealt with humanity strictly by justice, none would stand. Mercy is not denial of guilt but the triumph of covenant love.
Our Heavenly Father is the perfect parent we never had and never can be. He disciplines us, not to destroy us but rather to conform us to His will which is for our ultimate best. He will continue to discipline out of us those things which hinder our unity to Him. He allows us to suffer, not to hurt us but rather to build up our Christ-like character. He never gives us what we deserve, which is complete condemnation. In His discipline is love. Because He loves us, He disciplines us and lets us go through difficulties, always under His loving control, that we might grow to know Him, His joy, and His peace. Rejoice, even in suffering, because you know He is doing great things in your life. Yes, it is very hard to keep this perspective in the midst of trials which is why it is so important to always remind yourself of this fact during the easy times so you can be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared for the hard times.
Psalm 103:11 — For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
God’s love is immeasurable yet relational. It is vast, but not vague. Reverent fear is the posture that receives it rightly.
Psalm 103:12 — …as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Forgiveness is total separation, not partial reduction. God does not recycle forgiven sin. What He removes, He remembers no more.
The heavens never end and neither does God’s love for us. If you travel east on the globe, you will never arrive at west (notice the Bible does not say, north to south) – God’s forgiveness for us never ends; there is nothing we can do that is not unforgivable by God if we will turn to Him in true repentance.
Psalm 103:13 — As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
God’s mercy is personal. He does not rule as a detached sovereign but relates as a compassionate Father who understands weakness.
The Lord does not show compassion to everyone all the time in the same way. He shows compassion to His children who honor Him as Lord. God will not be mocked. He knows who are really seeking Him as BOTH Lord and Savior.
Psalm 103:14 — For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
God’s expectations are informed by understanding. He remembers human fragility even when humans forget it themselves. This is mercy grounded in realism.
Psalm 103:15-16 — As for man, his days are like grass….
Human life is brief and fragile. Pride dissolves in the face of mortality. This awareness does not produce despair but humility and dependence.
The proud, arrogant, and rebellious seem to completely lose perspective on their lives, failing to understand that the temporal is nothing compared to the eternal which is in God’s hands.
Our time on earth is very fleeting. Our relationship with God is eternal. Invest in what lasts, without losing sight of the fact that eternal life started the day you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Our time on earth is a time to serve God here and now, planting seeds and cultivating them for eternity. Make the most of today for eternity.
Psalm 103:17-18 — But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting….
God’s covenant love outlasts generations. Faithfulness is not limited to one lifetime. Obedience today echoes into tomorrow.
God’s love is steadfast and everlasting, but it is not for everyone, contrary to what many will preach. Though God shows grace to everyone, and though His love is available to everyone, it is simply rejected by many who never really experience His love, grow in His love, and receive eternal life through His love.
Psalm 103:19 — The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
God’s mercy never compromises His sovereignty. He reigns universally, authoritatively, and eternally.
Psalm 103:20-22 — Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the Lord. And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and threw it against the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood was thrown against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs, and their blood was thrown against the altar.
The psalm ends where it began, with worship. All creation responds to God’s rule, and the soul joins the chorus. Worship is alignment with reality.
God’s people are not the ones who say they obey His word and do His will. God’s people are not the ones who carelessly proclaim God’s grace. God’s people are the ones who truly obey and do His will. The rebellious are very quick to use words like “love” and “grace” to excuse sin. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:16-18)
2 Chronicles 29:1 — Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old…. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.
Hezekiah’s reign marks a decisive break from generational failure. Righteousness is possible even after widespread corruption. Faithfulness is always available to those willing to realign with God.
2 Chronicles 29:2-3 — In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.
Urgency defines obedience. Worship was top priority for Hezekiah. Hezekiah does not delay reform. Restoration begins with reopening what was neglected. Revival starts when access to God is restored — He first directed his resources towards the house of God.
2 Chronicles 29:4-5 — Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves….
Leadership begins with personal holiness. Before addressing the nation, Hezekiah addresses the priests. Cleansing precedes renewal. Responsibility begins at the top.
You too are called to be holy before the Lord. Remove from yourself what displeases God.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19 — Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
- Matthew 15:11 – “…it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
2 Chronicles 29:6-7 — For our fathers have been unfaithful….
Repentance and sanctification often involve no longer doing what your family taught you growing up.
Repentance is honest and specific. Hezekiah names the sins without minimizing them. True reform requires truth before progress.
2 Chronicles 29:11 — My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.
Calling requires response. God’s grace demands stewardship. Neglect is itself disobedience. Hezekiah calls the leaders to responsibility, not convenience.
We must not take our responsibility to God lightly. We stand in the presence of God Almighty, and He has command us. To be complacent is cosmic treason against the KING of kings.
Don’t be negligent in your worship and service to the LORD. Be holy and bold.
2 Chronicles 29:12-19 — Then the Levites arose….
Obedience spreads when leadership is clear. Restoration requires effort, discipline, and time. God honors willing servants who do the hard work of cleansing what has been defiled.
2 Chronicles 29:20-24 — Then King Hezekiah rose early….
Worship is restored through sacrifice. Sin is acknowledged before praise erupts. Reconciliation precedes celebration.
2 Chronicles 29:25-30 — And Hezekiah commanded….
True worship aligns with God’s revealed will. Joy follows obedience, not innovation. Praise is rooted in truth, not novelty.
2 Chronicles 29:31 — Now that you have consecrated yourselves….
Consecration leads to generosity. Hearts restored to God overflow in voluntary devotion.
2 Chronicles 29:32-36 — And the service of the house of the LORD was restored…. And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.
God’s work flourishes when people respond willingly. Revival is not manufactured; it is received through obedience. Joy follows restored order.
God will work in your life in ways only He can work, bringing glory to Himself while increasing your faith in Him. He will do the impossible through you so you and others will know it was Him and not you.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) — 21 December 2025: Restore what neglect has run down. Remember what grace has forgiven. Open again the doors you allowed to close — prayer, repentance, worship, obedience. Bless the Lord with disciplined remembrance, not emotional impulse. Cleanse the temple of your heart and realign your life with His mercy and His rule.
Pray: “Father, I bless You with my whole soul. Thank You for forgiving my sin, healing my brokenness, and redeeming my life from the pit. Restore what I have neglected, cleanse what I have compromised, and realign my heart with Your steadfast love and sovereign rule. Teach me to remember Your mercy, respond with obedience, and live as a restored vessel for Your glory. Amen.”
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