Who is Truly Blessed?
Our world calls people blessed when they're successful, secure, admired and in control. In contrast, in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5), Jesus describes people who know their need before God, who grieve over what is wrong with the world and refuse to dominate others with their strength. These are the ones, Jesus says, who are truly blessed and whose reward will be great in heaven.
Do We Give to God What Is God's?
In Matt 22, Jesus is publicly questioned by the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees: questioning designed to trap him in his words, stir up division and diminish his authority and popularity. Jesus not only avoids their trap, but he exposes the assumptions beneath their questions in order to reveal deeper truths about God, our responsibilities in the world and our hope beyond death.
Sing Praises
God's people are called to be both a remembering people (v5) and a telling people (v1). Psalm 105 begins with thanksgiving (remembering) and ends with praise (telling), and that is where the remembering of God's people should always lead...not merely to reflection on the past but to worship, thanks and praise to God in the present. Where do you need to remember God's faithfulness to you today?