Psalm 103:2,4b – Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits — Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy. (AMP)

The Lord's loving-kindness and tender mercy are so awesome. In the early days of my renewed Christian journey, so often after not being selected to serve the Lord in a certain church task, I'd discover that my Lord's loving-kindness had protected me from some unpleasant experience. Of course, that would be revealed after a period of crushed zeal and disappointment. However, increasingly, these crushing times taught me to seek and ask of the Lord how He wanted me to serve, which always turned out to be much better suited to the stage of my development. Jesus loves us to refer everything to Him, and whatever He desires for us is always the most loving, kind, righteous, fair, and fruitful!

Yes, we live and breathe in the Lord's perfect loving-kindness, which He manifests in His multifaceted ways every moment of our lives. Therefore, we can in His name make our best effort to share kindness and love with others, from the ample measure He has bestowed on us.

There is plenty of gracelessness, impatience, intolerance, peevishness, envy, bitterness, anger, and spite around, and it takes no effort, courage, or strength of discipline to behave thus. Everyone can do it. But this serves as a constant joy-drain on both recipients and perpetrators of such conduct.

In contrast, every moment that we live appreciating Jesus' loving-kindness and consideration, we grow more positive and confident, which in turn enlarges within us His godly strength, joy, discipline, and grace, to show loving-kindness and consideration to others. His "light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. Try to learn what pleases the Lord." (Ephesians 5:9-10 NCV)

We can be certain, beyond doubt, that our God-given crown of loving-kindness and tender mercy is ever noticed by its presence or its absence.

As always, our blessed reward is more than superabundantly fair and just, and greatly encourages us to keep giving as our Lord does! For as we give, so it is given back to us in very "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over … For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38 NKJV)

Prayer: Praises and thanks to You, Lord Jesus, for Your gifts and crowns of loving-kindness and tender mercies. Thank You that in our sharing acts of loving-kindness with others, we can make their lives and our own lives richer, as well as enriching the region where You have planted us. Best of all, we please You, Lord! Amen and Amen!

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