Dr Paul Allen

Bless the Lord, O my  soul , and all that is within me, bless his holy name!( Psalm 103:1 ) The psalm begins and ends with the psalmist  preaching  to his soul to bless the Lord—and preaching to the angels and the hosts of heaven and the works of  God ’s hands. The psalm is overwhelmingly focused on blessing the Lord.  What does it mean to bless the Lord?  It means to speak well of his greatness and goodness. What  David  is doing in the first and last verses of this psalm, when he says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” is saying that speaking about God’s goodness and greatness must come from the soul. Blessing God with the mouth without the soul would be hypocrisy.  Jesus  said, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” ( Matthew 15:8 ). David knows that danger, and he is preaching to himself that it not happen. Come, soul, look at the greatness and goodness of God. Join my mouth, and let us b...

Bless the Lord, O my soul , and all that is within me, bless his holy name!( Psalm 103:1 ) The psalm begins and ends with the psalmist preaching to his soul to bless the Lord—and preaching to the angels and the hosts of heaven and the works of God ’s hands. The psalm is overwhelmingly focused on blessing the Lord.  What does it mean to bless the Lord? It means to speak well of his greatness and goodness. What David is doing in the first and last verses of this psalm, when he says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” is saying that speaking about God’s goodness and greatness must come from the soul. Blessing God with the mouth without the soul would be hypocrisy. Jesus said, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” ( Matthew 15:8 ). David knows that danger, and he is preaching to himself that it not happen. Come, soul, look at the greatness and goodness of God. Join my mouth, and let us bless the Lord with our whole being. Related a...

Cross (Photo credit: Photographic Textures ) "Exceeding great and precious promises." 2 Peter 1:4 If you would know experimentally the preciousness of the promises, and enjoy them in your own heart, meditate much upon them. There are promises which are like grapes in the wine-press ; if you will tread them the juice will flow. Thinking over the hallowed words will often be the prelude to their fulfilment. While you are musing upon them, the boon which you are seeking will insensibly come to you. Many a Christian who has thirsted for the promise has found the favour which it ensured gently distilling into his soul even while he has been considering the divine record; and he has rejoiced that ever he was led to lay the promise near his heart. But besides meditating upon the promises, seek in thy soul to receive them as being the very words of God . Speak to thy soul thus, "If I were dealing with a man's promise, I should carefully consider the ability and the c...

For Sunday - The Noah's Ark Window in Tissington, Derbyshire (Photo credit: UGArdener ) “. . . And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:39 Universal was the doom, neither rich nor poor escaped: the learned and the illiterate, the admired and the abhorred, the religious and the profane, the old and the young, all sank in one common ruin. Some had doubtless ridiculed the patriarch—where now their merry jests? Others had threatened him for his zeal which they counted madness—where now their boastings and hard speeches? The critic who judged the old man’s work is drowned in the same sea which covers his sneering companions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good man’s fidelity to his convictions, but shared not in them, have sunk to rise no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build the wondrous ark, are all lost also. The flood swept themall away, and made no single exception. Even so, out ...