As the East is from the West

August 22

(Psalm 103:1-18 NIV) “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. {2} Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- {3} who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, {4} who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, {5} who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. {6} The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. {7} He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: {8} The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. {9} He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; {10} he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. {11} For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; {12} as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. {13} As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; {14} for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. {15} As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; {16} the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. {17} But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-- {18} with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”

(Genesis 2:7 NIV) “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

(Genesis 3:19 NIV) “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

In Psalm 103 we see both the holy compassion of our eternal God and the fragile mortality of created man. We were created for eternity, but regularly trade it for pleasure and pride. We choose our way over God’s way. As a result we flourish for a moment, but quickly fade and are soon forgotten, returning to the dust from which we were taken. But God’s mercy is everlasting. In Christ, we get better than we deserve. The Lord forgives those who will believe and receive Him. Through His sacrifice, He has removed our sin “as far as the east is from the west”, never be seen again. He redeems us and renews us. He breathes life into those who choose to follow Him. There is no higher love than God’s love. There is no greater compassion than the compassion of Christ. No one can satisfy like our God. This is why we praise the Lord with all our “inmost being”. Praise His holy name today. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day