A Psalm worth singing

by Emma Strelan Werner

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love (Psalm 103:8).

Read Psalm 103:8–13

Psalm 103 is one of the most highlighted psalms in my Bible.

I come back to it time and time again because of how beautifully it expresses God’s love and mercy. One author goes so far as to proclaim, ‘It is perhaps the most perfect song of pure praise to be found in the Bible.’ I see why. To me, these are the kind of words you could sing over and over and never get tired of because they contain such beautiful truths about God.

In wonderfully poetic imagery, we’re reminded of a God who is both great and mighty, but also personal and loving. A God whose love is bigger than anything we can imagine: ‘As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him’ (verse 11).

In this same psalm, we are also reminded of God’s intimate, close love – it is like that of a Father who knows all of our weaknesses personally. And in return, we get to know him, too.

What better way to encapsulate both the greatness and goodness of God in just a few verses?

The key theme running through this psalm is God’s great compassion and mercy, which ties in well with the other passages this week, in which we are called to consider the ways we should respond to sin and injustice in our community. We’re now given a chance to reflect on how God acts towards us.

Where we humans struggle to let go of grudges and forgive those who wrong us, our God, who has every right to hold even the ‘small’ things against us, simply says in his endless mercy and grace: ‘It is finished. You are forgiven. Receive all that I offer you in love.’

Heavenly Father, may this psalm be the song of my heart today. May I want to sing it from the car window and whisper it in my bed. May the truths it proclaims go with me into whatever the next week holds. Amen.

Emma works part-time as a content producer at Lutheran Media, where she creates the Messages of Hope radio show and podcast. On her other days, she takes freelance video jobs, filming weddings and all manner of projects that come along. Having gotten married herself in May, she’s enjoying this new season of life with her husband, Tim.

Please give me a job description

by Emma Strelan Werner

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).

Read Ephesians 4:25–32

Allow me to pull out my ‘I learnt a tiny bit of biblical Greek’ card for a moment to point out some cheeky wordplay from Paul in this passage. In verse 32, the Greek word for ‘be kind’ is chrestos – strikingly similar to the Greek for Christ. So, when Paul tells us to ‘be kind’ to one another, perhaps he’s hinting that we ought to also ‘be Christ’ to one another. After all, that is, in fact, what we still call ourselves as Christians – our job is to be little Christs.

But there’s nothing I fear more than being given a job title with no blueprint or direction for what doing that role actually looks like. Perhaps many Christians have found that once they put their faith in Jesus and are told they are a new creation in him, they have no idea what that even means in practice!

Well, thankfully, we get a job description for a ‘new creation’ right here in Ephesians.

A new person in Christ:

- tells the truth (verse 25)

- knows when to let go of anger so it doesn’t lead to sin (verse 26)

- works honestly and gives generously (verse 28)

- speaks for the building up, not tearing down of others (verse 29)

- lives in a way that does not grieve the Holy Spirit (verse 30)

- controls emotions that lead to hurting others (verse 31)

- seeks to show the same kindness that God has shown them (verse 32).

This can be a nice list to spend some time considering: ‘In which area can I be more Christ-like right now?’ But, in all these things, a theme becomes evident: as Christians, the needs of others are to be our first concern, and Christ is the greatest example of that.

There’s one thing even better than a job description: having the person who did that job before you demonstrate what it looks like.

When we struggle to know what ‘being Christ’ looks like in a specific situation and can’t find a Bible verse giving us the answer, we can turn to Christ as our example. I don’t have to forge my own path ahead as a Christian, even in this ever-changing world, because Christ goes before me.

Lord Jesus, thank you for demonstrating love perfectly. Give me a hunger to know you more, so that more and more of you shines out of me. Bring to my attention where I can be living better as your new creation today. Amen.

Emma works part-time as a content producer at Lutheran Media, where she creates the Messages of Hope radio show and podcast. On her other days, she takes freelance video jobs, filming weddings and all manner of projects that come along. Having gotten married herself in May, she’s enjoying this new season of life with her husband, Tim.

Costly forgiveness

by Emma Strelan Werner

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them (Luke 17:4).

Read Luke 17:1–4

‘There is nothing particularly Christian about the practice of forgiveness. Whatever our religion, we must request and grant forgiveness almost every day of our lives’ (Douglas R A Hare).

If this quote is true, what makes Christian forgiveness unique?

Well, our sort of forgiveness, the kind that forgives the same person seven times (and more) in a day, is costly.

It is no small endeavour to forgive as Jesus instructs us to here. If someone wrongs you once? No worries! You can say, ‘It was a mistake, you’re forgiven, let’s move on!’ What if someone wrongs you a second time? Then you start to think, ‘Hmm, okay, that hurt again, but I want to keep this relationship with you, so I forgive you.’ But when the pattern goes on, and on and on, the pain and struggle to give up the anger gets harder and harder.

Forgiving someone who you know will probably hurt you again isn’t a small thing. But we do it for those who we truly love. We’re willing to accept that pain, because we know our Father in Heaven has forgiven us without limit.

When we understand the immensity of forgiveness offered to us by Jesus, what right do we have to withhold forgiveness from others even if they sin against us seven times in a day?

That kind of forgiveness is costly. It costs us our pride, our anger, our need for a certain type of justice. But it cost Jesus a whole lot more.

Dear Lord, when someone seeks forgiveness from me, remind me of your grace so that I can, without hesitation, offer them a restored relationship as you have given me. Amen.

Emma works part-time as a content producer at Lutheran Media, where she creates the Messages of Hope radio show and podcast. On her other days, she takes freelance video jobs, filming weddings and all manner of projects that come along. Having gotten married herself in May, she’s enjoying this new season of life with her husband, Tim.