I was noticing how seemingly hedonistic Psalm 116 is. Here is what I was thinking:
Ps 116:1 I love the LORD,
.... Why?
because He hears My voice {and} my supplications.
Ps 116:2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call {upon Him} as long as I live.
Ps 116:3 The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.
Ps 116:4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!"
Ps 116:5 ¶ Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.
Ps 116:6 The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
Ps 116:7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
.... Rest?! Don't you owe God something for his saving you? Shouldn't you be doing some work for Him?
Ps 116:8 For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling.
Ps 116:9 I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living.
Ps 116:10 I believed when I said, "I am greatly afflicted."
Ps 116:11 I said in my alarm, "All men are liars."
Ps 116:12 ¶ What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?
....
Ps 116:13 I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the LORD.
.... !!!!
Ps 116:14 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh {may it be} in the presence of all His people.
Ps 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.
Ps 116:16 O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds.
Ps 116:17 To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of the LORD.
Ps 116:18 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh {may it be} in the presence of all His people,
Ps 116:19 In the courts of the LORD'S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
I was encouraged in this, that for the saint, they will always and only be a recipient of grace, nothing more. What can we do to glorify God? Not try to serve him dutifully as if he needed us or could be benefited by us, that's for sure. He's is not a God that is served by human hands, and I'm so glad he's not. What shall I render to the Lord then for being such a gracious savior? Ps. 116:13 has it, lift up your cup for more grace and more fullness of salvation. Even the next verse about paying vows is emphasizing doing it so that other people see that God is worth loving and following, not so much that the payment made in and of itself somehow benefits God.
God is not so much glorified by our obedience as he is by showing us mercy. This is the gospel. Shall we then continue in sin? By no means. We shall instead thank and praise him, and come back to him the fountain of all life and joy again and again.
This truth has really been a mainstay for me lately. God doesn't need me. I can be nothing more than a recipient of grace. Though I want to serve and honor him with my life, sometimes I don't know how best to do that and feel like I'm spinning my wheels. Don't be discouraged. Your great occupation (come what may) is to cling to God and love him still. You need not be anything more than a recipient of grace.
O reader, (if you're here at this site it's probably because you're my friend and I love you) offer a prayer of thanksgiving today.
