Psalms 117 (NASB)
Praise the LORD, all nations;
Laud Him, all peoples!
For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the LORD is everlasting.
Praise the LORD!
Dear Neighbor,
Do you praise the Lord? The Lord is worthy to be praised by all of the nations on the earth. Many of the psalmist write of the Lord’s lovingkindness and truth. They are invoking God’s revelation of the Lord to Moses on Mount Sinai in the desert. (Ex. 34:6-7) Whatever the Lord says is truth because he is faithful and can be trusted by all. The Lord God is love; therefore, he is compassionate and gracious. The Lord should be praised by all of the nations for what he has done in creation and through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. We all deserve death and eternal punishment in the lake of fire for sinning against our creator. He commanded Adam to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but he listened to the voice of his wife rather than the word of God. Eve knew that she was not to eat from the fruit but she listened to the voice of a serpent rather than the Lord God who created all things. The deception of the serpent is always the same, he told her that by eating of it she would be like God, knowing good and evil. (Gn. 3:5) Sin is high treason against the creator of the universe and it binds us. Man has been in bondage to sin ever since. Deciding for oneself is not freedom but knowing the right thing to do and doing it is true freedom. Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32) It is by following Jesus Christ and learning to observe all that he commanded that a person becomes truly free. (Jn. 8:34-36)
In Christ alone,
Michael Peek
The Nurse Theologian
