Resource Detail

Year-End Message Juan Seo (Dec 29, 2024)

FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS

Psalms 103:1-5

Key Verse 103:2

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Last week, we heard about M. Siegmund’s accident and prayed earnestly for him. We also prayed fervently for M. Andrew Choi’s heart procedure. God heard our prayers. M. Siegmund regained consciousness, and the MRI results showed no serious issues. M. Andrew’s procedure was also successfully completed. Thank you all for your heartfelt prayers. We praise God, our healer.

David begins his psalm with “Praise the Lord, my soul” (1). He repeats, “Praise the Lord, my soul,” in verse 2. This repetition emphasizes how important it is to praise the Lord. The verb ‘praise’ here is in the imperative form. Who is David commanding? Is he commanding his people? Is he commanding his family? No, David is commanding himself. “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” What is ‘soul’? In the Bible, the word ‘soul’ has different meanings. Sometimes, it refers to inner life or spiritual states, and other times, it points to emotions or passions. But in this psalm, it refers to ‘the whole person,’ which means that David is commanding his whole being—his entire self—to praise the Lord.

His whole person is described as “all my inmost being.” In this, David is commanding all that is within him to praise the Lord. What is “all our inmost being” specifically? In Mark 12:30, Jesus teaches us what the greatest commandment is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The phrases “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” refer to ‘the totality of one’s being.’ The heart is the seat of spiritual life and the inner being. Soul refers to feelings, emotions, and desires. Mind refers to understanding and intelligence. Strength refers to the power of the body. Human existence can be represented by the heart, soul, mind, and body. So, we are called to praise the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength.

When we praise the Lord, our emotions play an important role. But some people don't show any expression when they praise God. There’s no emotion. When we praise God, our hearts should overflow with joy. People in Latin America are very open with their emotions. They laugh, cry, and express love very naturally. During the praise time in worship, they jump and dance with joy. In contrast, some cultures seem more serious. I remember a German leader who attended a Venezuelan Summer Retreat. He was amazed to see the Venezuelans raising their hands and dancing while praising God. He tried to move his body a little, but it didn’t come naturally to him. However, praising God with just emotions isn’t enough either. God has given us reason and intellect. True praise involves meditating on God’s word and reflecting deeply on His love. Therefore, when we praise God, both emotion and reason should work together. Not only that, but our bodies should also be part of our praise. In fact, we are called to praise God throughout our lives. Our love for God should be expressed through our love for our neighbors. That’s our act of praising God. Romans 12:1 says, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Why should we praise God? It’s because praising God is the very purpose of our lives. This statement is extremely important. What is the purpose of our lives? If we believe that we exist by chance, our lives would hold no special significance. However, if we believe that we were created by God, then our lives gain meaning and purpose. The purpose of our lives comes from our Creator, God. Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” This means that God created the heavens and the earth and humanity for His joy and glory. Isaiah 43:7 declares that we were created for His glory. “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Therefore, as human beings, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we must do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). This is what it means to praise the Lord.

What happens if we do not live for the glory of God? Romans 1:21-23 explains this clearly. If we do not live for the glory of God, our thinking will become futile, and our foolish hearts will be darkened. We will become fools and idolaters, worshiping other human beings, birds, animals, and reptiles instead of God. We may think of ourselves as wise, but if we are not living for God’s glory, we become the most foolish of all. On the other hand, when we live for the glory of God, our lives will bear abundant fruit. Our hearts will be filled with love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We will live a meaningful and joyful life. Therefore, praising the Lord is the greatest blessing for us.

“Praise the Lord, my soul.” This command requires genuine obedience from us. However, due to our sinful nature, it is often very difficult for us to naturally praise God. Complaints instead of praise arise in our hearts—about our parents, children, friends, or circumstances—and we feel anger. In those moments, it’s easy to grumble and say, “It’s your fault.” But this kind of behavior ruins our lives. One day, I was driving peacefully and joyfully. Suddenly, a car sped by next to me, blowing its horn loudly. I was startled, and my peace was shattered. The joy I had felt was quickly replaced with anger. I wanted to speed up, chase the car, and honk back just as loudly. But doing that would have been dangerous. Many accidents have occurred because of road rage and retaliatory driving. When anger and frustration build up in such moments, we must make a deliberate choice to praise God. We can say, “Praise the Lord for that rude driver!” We can praise the Lord for the friend who frustrates us, for our parents, and for our children. When we choose to praise God in these situations, we open the door for Him to bless us.

In the book Power in Praise by Merlin R. Carothers, there is a powerful illustration. A father was struggling greatly with his rebellious teenage son. He had tried everything—disciplining, rebuking, and reasoning—but nothing seemed to improve his son’s behavior. Hearing about this, Merlin advised the father not to focus on correcting his son’s faults but instead to praise the Lord for his son. At first, the father found it impossible to praise God because of his son’s actions. However, in obedience, he began to praise the Lord. As he praised God, his heart overflowed with gratitude for his son. Over time, something remarkable happened—his son’s behavior began to change. This story beautifully illustrates the transformative power of praising God.

How can we specifically praise the Lord? Look at verse 2b. “Forget not all his benefits.” The key to praising God is very simple and clear. It is to forget not all his benefits. Because we are so prone to forget, God commands us not to forget. There are things we want to remember and things we want to forget. We want to remember our happy moments. We don’t want to forget our first love. We don’t want to forget our wedding anniversary—especially husbands, because forgetting this day can lead to big trouble! If we had a wonderful trip to Europe this year, we wouldn’t want to forget it. Important knowledge is something we try not to forget. Students work hard to remember the material that will be on their exams. On the other hand, there are things we desperately want to forget. We want to forget the sadness of a breakup. We want to forget the embarrassment of being rejected after confessing our love. We want to forget experiences that caused us great pain or trauma. We want to forget the moment when we hurt others deeply through our own mistakes. We want to forget the hardships we face in the present.

We don’t need to try to remember everything. In fact, forgetting can be a great blessing for us. Imagine if our memory was so sharp that we could vividly recall every detail of our past. We would likely feel burdened, ashamed, or saddened by those memories. It seems that God, in His wisdom, has given us the blessing of forgetfulness for our benefit. However, there are things we must not forget. Our problem is that we often forget the things we shouldn’t forget. The psalmist reminds us not to forget God’s benefits. Verses 3–5 teach us what we must not forget.

First, we must not forget the God who forgives all our sins. This year, we have committed many sins. We have committed the sin of idolatry by not putting God first and instead placing ourselves at the center, pursuing money, fame, and worldly pleasures. We have sinned by hating, envying, being jealous, and lying to others. We have entertained impure thoughts and indulged in pornography, gaming, or drug addictions, grieving God. We have sinned by being indifferent to our suffering neighbors and failing to practice the love of Jesus. We have also sinned against our spouses, children, and others by hurting them with our words and actions. I, too, have committed many sins, including hurting my wife with my words and actions. I repent of this sin. God, knowing our weakness, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the world to forgive all our sins. Jesus suffered and was crucified to forgive us. While on the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” granting us forgiveness for our sins. When we repent of our sins and come to Jesus, God forgives all our sins. However, if we don’t repent of our sins before God, it remains unforgiven. Without repentance, there can be no forgiveness. Therefore, we must repent of all our sins. When we repent, God restores us. He restores our relationship with Him and with others. He fills our hearts with peace and joy. We praise God who forgives all our sins. We must never forget the benefit of God’s forgiveness.

Second, we must not forget the God who heals all our diseases. This year, we were sick at least once or twice. We may have caught a cold, experienced headache, or suffered from stomach pain. Some have struggled with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases. Others are suffering from severe illnesses like cancer. Still, others face mental health challenges such as bipolar disorder and anxiety. The Bible teaches that God is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. He has the power to heal all our diseases. However, God has His good plans even through sickness. Illness can draw our desires closer to God and help us grow in faith. Sometimes, God may delay healing to teach us greater spiritual blessings. Yet, in most cases, God provides healing. Last spring, I suffered from severe allergies, which lasted about a month. Many coworkers in New York UBF prayed for me and provided practical support. God healed me from those allergies. About two weeks ago, my right eye was severely injured. I had to go to the ER immediately and see an eye doctor the next day. I told the doctor that I needed to preach on Sunday, but the doctor strongly urged me to rest completely. As a result, I couldn’t deliver the message at the Christmas service. Through this experience, I learned to humbly surrender everything to God and to rely on Him rather than trying to do things on my own. While my vision hasn’t fully recovered yet, I’m grateful that my eye is healing steadily. I must not forget this benefit of God’s healing. We continue to fervently pray for M. Becky Song Lee and M. Ruth Lim, along with many others. We pray that the God of healing will touch them with His mighty power and restore their health.

Third, we must not forget the God who redeems our lives from the pit and crowns us with love and compassion. As we live in this world, we face many dangers. Yet God redeems us each time and shows us His love and compassion. A few months ago, I was driving on Northern Blvd when suddenly, the car in front of me crashed into the car ahead. This caused a four-car pileup. I was alarmed and quickly hit the brakes. At that moment, I realized that it was entirely by God’s grace that I wasn’t involved in that accident. No matter how careful I am when driving, if a reckless driver crashes into me, I cannot avoid an accident. I believe that the fact we drive every day without incidents is evidence of God’s protection with His love and compassion. We must remember that being able to work without major issues at our workplace is by God’s grace. As we reflect on this year, let us remember the grace of God, who redeemed us from many pits and protected us with His love and compassion. Let us praise Him for His faithfulness!

Fourth, we must not forget the God who satisfies our desires with good things and renews our youth like the eagle’s. We all have many desires, but not all of them are beneficial for us. Last week, many people wished to win the $1.22 billion jackpot, but the winner was from California. That means none of us won that jackpot. Is there anyone who complains because of this? We’ve heard stories of people who won lottery jackpots only to ruin their lives afterward. God satisfies our desires with His good things. Do you know what the national bird of the United States is? It’s the American Bald Eagle. However, it wasn’t officially declared the national bird until recently. It was finally made official on December 24, this year, five days ago. When you look at the American Bald Eagle, it’s full of strength. Watching it hunt is truly amazing—it can snatch prey, even a deer heavier than itself, and carry it into the air. God can renew our youth like the American Bald Eagle’s. I pray that our senior members will be renewed like eagles. Let us remember and praise God daily for His grace that renews our youth.

How can we avoid forgetting God’s benefits? Think about how you study for an exam. How do you remember what you’ve learned? Yes, through repetition. By repeatedly reviewing and studying the material every hour, every day, and every week, you can retain it. Also, by organizing the content clearly and assigning meaning to it, we can remember better. By writing down what we’ve learned, we can remember better. In the same way, God wants us to repeatedly remember, reflect on, and give meaning to His benefits. He also encourages us to write them down so that we never forget. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is particularly meaningful in this regard. Shall we read it together? “⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

I pray that we will not forget the benefits God has bestowed upon us this year but instead remember them repeatedly and praise Him so that we may receive His blessings even more abundantly. I also pray that in the next year, we will become God’s faithful people who praise God even more. Amen.