Many people today are forced to work with little or no benefits. They live from day to day worrying if anything happened they may not be adequately covered, or that they would have no way to cover their expenses. Benefits are always an important consideration, regardless of the type of work you may do. You want to make sure that both you and your family members are 'covered'. Then if you change jobs, you have to go through the entire process of making sure you are adequately covered all over again. How many times have you used your benefits only to find out you are not covered or only partially covered, and left with a hefty bill. Even if you have the best benefits in the world, they can be cancelled, changed, or become so cost prohibitive that you can't afford them. By now your probably thinking, "This guy is trying to sell me benefits!" No I'm not, well actually I am, but the good news is, They will Not Cost You Anything! The cost of your benefits have been covered, paid in full.
Before you can have any benefits in this world, you have to work for a company that offers those benefits. I'm sure by now you've picked up on the fact that I am not talking about earthly benefits. So if there is any 'catch' to all of this it is this. You must be Born Again. The benefits we will be talking about are available only to those that are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. Those that have asked Jesus Christ to come into their lives, and be their Lord, and Savior. The company you will be working for is called The Kingdom Of God. The board of directors is made up of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. And they expect us to show up for work every day, and be on time. Our only saving grace is that God does not require us to 'punch in'. If that were a requirement, then many of us would have been FIRED a long time ago. Ok, I guess we're all feeling a little guilty about now. No problem. Let's just pick it up from here and get it right. God has been waiting a long time for some of us to show up for work.
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalms 86:15
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
If you haven't heard about how great God's benefits are, it's probably not your fault. Not many churches teach them, and not many of God's children talk about them because they are hard to accept and believe in this world. These benefits are the exact opposite of what is actually happening in this world, and in the lives of God's children. However hard it may be for you to accept these benefits, you must receive them by faith. If you choose to ignore them, or just refuse to believe them, then you will not benefit from what God has given you in this life. That's like having benefits where you work, but continue to pay for services out of your own pocket, even though you are fully covered. Sound foolish? Yes it is, but that is exactly what many of God's children are doing. Just like anything in this life, you have a choice to accept God's benefits or ignore them. To choose blessing or cursing. God has set the choice directly in front of us. It's time to choose.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. Deuteronomy 30:19
These benefits are given to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He paid the price for you and me. All we have to do is by faith, accept this free gift.
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalms 103:1-5
Allow me to summarize these benefits.
Benefit One (Who forgiveth all thine iniquities)
There can be no eternal rest. There can be no peace. There can be no hope beyond this world without the forgiveness of sins. Without the forgiveness of sin you will never truly know the Love of God manifested in benefits 2 thru 5. God's forgiveness is the most valued treasure you could ever find. Without it, all is lost. "Who forgiveth", past, present and future. His forgiving love will continue to the day you die, and then for an eternity. The removal of sin is as real in this world as the removal of sickness and disease. It makes no difference how bad you may think you are, or what terrible things you may have done. When you ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins,and ask him to be your Lord and Saviour, then God will remove your sins by the same measure that Jesus bore your sins on the cross. He bore them all.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Benefit Two (Who healeth all thy diseases)
How easy it is to believe by faith that our sins have been removed. How hard it is to use that same faith to believe that our sickness or disease has been removed. Yet both are part of the same benefit package. How could one be more difficult than the other? That's what Jesus was talking about when he said. "Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?" Luke 5:23. Which is easier? If you were to answer this question based on what is going on around you, or maybe in your own life, the answer would probably be, having my sins forgiven. Because it seems to be so hard or impossible to remove sickness and disease, many of God's children have just given up on that benefit. The devil has spread a lie throughout the church of God that this benefit no longer applies. That it was only active during the ministry of Jesus. Hearing a lie is one thing, believing it can be disastrous. The devil has done the same thing he did in the Garden of Eden. He poses a question in such a way that it raises doubts in the minds of God's children.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Genesis 3:1
.......... He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44
"Does God really mean he will heal all you diseases? Surely this cannot be, look around you." This is the type of question and statement the devil has presented to God's children, and he has used many well meaning people, even God's children to spread this lie. You cannot pick and choose from these benefits. They are a benefit package. If you believe that healing is no longer active for today, then how can you be sure the forgiveness of sin is still active? The hebrew meaning of the word diseases is simply this, (a malady, disease, a grievous sickess). The word malady means any illness of the mind or body. So God has got you covered spirit, soul and body! Many are troubled by the fact that when Jesus healed people he got instantaneous results. They cannot believe that they could do the same thing. They will say "that was Jesus, the Son of God, and I am not he." Well you are right. You are not Jesus, but you can do the same thing.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:21,22
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12
The word "greater" does not mean better or of greater quality, but "more of". You cannot improve on anything that Jesus did. What God is expecting is that his children will follow after their Savior and collectively do "more of" the same works.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:17,18
Benefit Three (Who redeemeth thy life from destruction)
We place so much emphasis on physical death. But this benefit is talking about spiritual death. We have been redeemed from the destuctive power of spiritual death. If you are one of God's children, then to die physically is to leave your physical body and be present with the Lord for an eternity. To die spiritually is to leave this physical body but be forever separated from the living God. There will be no peace for your spirit (which is the real you), and that will go on for an eternity. The way you can die spiritually is to die physically without ever receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Without ever accepting the fact that Jesus Christ was your substitute on the cross. He took your place, and paid the price for your sins and purchsed your eternal salvation. Without ever acknowledging that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the power of God, and is now in heaven with God, and has prepared a place for you. We weep and are sad when physical death takes place, but to continue on in this life without the shed blood of Jesus Christ cleansing you from your sins, you will experience eternal sadness, agony, and pain for ever.
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:38-42
Many will say "surely God will forgive me in the end." "After all I go to church every Sunday, and listen to your Word being preached." "I even give to the poor." "I know that I have done all these things in your presence Lord, surely you can forgive me in the end."
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. Luke 13:26-28
Doing good things and going to church every Sunday is wonderful, but these things alone cannot purchase your eternal salvation. If you think you will get around to accepting Jesus into your life some day, then you are playing a very dangerous game. A game that will lead to eternal destruction. A destruction that you have been redeemed from through Jesus Christ.
Benefit Four (Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies)
The hebrew meaning of "crowneth" is to "encircle with protection against attack." This is a hard concept for most of God's children to accept. Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish God's children from the world. Neither one looks like they are encircled with protection against attack. Neither one looks like they are crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
When we get up in the morning we should be saying, "lookout devil, I'm up!" "I'm crowned with god's Love and his Tender mercies!" "I'm redeemed from the curse of the law, because my savior Jesus Christ was made a curse for me!" "My father is the one and only God!" "My savior is Jesus Christ!" "I have the presence of the Holy Ghost in me, and the ministering angels have been sent to me because I am an heir of salvation!" "By faith in that name Jesus Christ, I resist you, and all your evil spirits!" "Therefore you can take all your wordly garbage of sin, fear, sickness, lack and anything else and flee from me because I do not receive it!" "I am crowned with the Love and Mercies of God!"
We must say what the Word says, not what the world says. I hear so many christians say things like "I'm barely hanging in there". I don't understand how your Father can be the king of Kings, and your just barely hanging in there. Maybe it has something to do with the story that Jesus told about the two sons (Luke 15:11). Everybody likes to focus on the one son that left his Father, and spent his entire fortune in riotous living. Then came to his senses, repented and returned to his Father. When his Father saw him comming he ran out to meet him, and hugged him, and covered him with his best robe. That son finally realized how much his Father had always loved him. The son who had stayed home, and was always near the Father had anger and bitterness in his heart. He never realized that all his Father had was his for the asking. He never understood his Fathers love. He never realized that he was crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
Benefit Five (Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's)
The process of putting the Word of God in our 'hearts',(our new born again spirit), is a process that will be life changing. The Word of God contains spiritual power, and when spoken by a true believer will produce results in this world. When you begin to see your life, and the lives of those around you changing, then you will experience a satisfying peace that can only be explained by personal experience. Even before you see the answer to prayer, the Word of God will strengthen you and sustain you, and keep you in peace. This is a spiritual law. If you put the Word in, it will come out with power and authority.
.......for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Matthew 12:34
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. Luke 4:32
The Word of God has not changed. That's because the Word is God, and he hasen't changed. If we put the Word in our new spirits, the power of God will manifest itself in our lives, and good things will come out of our mouths.
As the years go by, no doubt we grow older. But at the same time the Word of God will cause our souls to mount up with wings as eagles. To run and not be weary. Our strength will be renewed so that spiritually will fly with the wings of the eagle.
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself. Exodus 19:4
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Obviously when David wrote this Psalm he had many reasons to bless, and praise the Lord. He felt an inner most gratitude that was expressed in joyful worship. His entire being, spirit, soul, and body took part in worshiping and praising God for his goodness. He did not forget that it was by grace that these benefits were available to him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:........... Psalms 103:1-5
So we now come to our part. As God's children we should be praising him every day for what he has done and will do in our lives.
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. Psalms 47:6,7
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: Psalms 92:1
If you are a child of God then it is not a relationship that you need with God. You are already part of God,s family, and related to him through Jesus Christ your savior. What we now need is fellowship with God. It is through God's word, and praise and worship that we truly draw close to God and understand how much he loves us. You do not need a relationship to your earthly father, for you are already related through birth. You get to know your earthly father or mother through fellowship. In the same way we are now related to God through our new birth in Christ Jesus.
If you worship God from a sense of duty, you do well. This type of worship and praise comes from the mind. You do it because you're supposed to, or somebody said, "it's time to praise the Lord". On the other hand, if your praise and worship is spontaneous, from every fiber of your spirit, soul, and body, then you rise above the duty of worship, and you will never be the same.
David did not forget God's benefits. They were constantly in his mind. In the same way if we continue to praise God and stay
in his Word we to will not forget all of God's benefits. We will constantly remember who we are through Christ Jesus. We will know
and understand that it is our Father that Forgives, Heals, Redeems, Crowns, and Satisfies us spirit, soul, and body.