In this article, I invite you to delve with me into the biblical account recorded in Matthew 2:1-18, which provides profound insights into the birth of Jesus and its implications for us today.

The Birth of Jesus in Time and History

Matthew opens his account with these words:
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king…”

This is not a “once upon a time” fairy tale but a historical event rooted in time and space. Matthew is so confident about the story’s veracity that he cites it alongside other historical events that can be independently verified. If Herod was a historical figure and his reign took place in history, then the story of Jesus’ birth and the wise men’s visit can be corroborated.

While we may not know the exact date of Jesus’ birth, the historical fact of His arrival is undisputed. For Christians, Christmas is the day we commemorate this miraculous event. But beyond the celebration, we must ask: Why was Jesus born?

Matthew answers this in Matthew 1:18-21, where an angel reveals to Joseph:
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The Purpose of Jesus’ Birth

Who are these people for whom Jesus was born to save? To answer this question, we must go to the beginning of creation. In Genesis 1, we read that man was created in the image and likeness of God to reflect his glory and character. Just as a statue is supposed to project the glory of the person it represents, man was created in the image of God to reflect his glory. When people see you, they are supposed to see the glory and character of God. But, when you consider your life, can you say for certain that you have accurately reflected God’s character to others in his love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? I certainly cannot say I have, at least not consistently. Our lives are often marked by pride, selfishness, indulgence, lust, anger, pride, envy, jealousy, and hate. That is not how God looks like. And so, Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

This means we are all below the mark in our duty to reflect God’s glory to the watching world perfectly. That is the definition of sin, falling short of God’s perfect standard, and for that, we have all justly incurred his condemnation because “the wages of sin is death.”  We need to be saved from the impending judgement of God.

That was the good news the angel announced to Joseph, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

How does Jesus save people from their sins? He did so by living the perfect life we could not live and dying the death we deserve. Jesus is the only person who ever lived a perfect life. Throughout his life on earth, he never sinned; he perfectly reflected the glory and character of God. Not only that, at the age of 33 years, he was crucified on a Roman cross. The Bible says when that happened, he was taking on the punishment you and I have incurred and deserved for living below God’s perfect standard.

That sacrifice was accepted by God when he raised him from the dead 3 days after his crucifixion. God has declared that anyone who recognises their sin and comes to Jesus will be saved from God’s judgement. There will be a sweet exchange where Jesus’ perfect life will be credited to you, and all your sins will be debited to his account, which is already paid for on the cross.

We see from these verses that the birth of Jesus is not a legend or a myth. We also know that the purpose of his birth was to save his people from God’s judgement. These truths demand a response.

Responses to Jesus’ Birth

In the Christmas narrative, three groups of people encounter the news of Jesus’ birth, and their responses provide a mirror for us to reflect on our own. 

The Response of the Wise Men

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

A few questions come to mind when you read these verses. Who these men are? Why are they called wise? The term “Magi” comes from the Greek word for wise men, likely referring to astrologers or scholars from Persia (modern-day Iran). How did they hear about the birth of Jesus far away in the East? How did they come to the knowledge and understanding that this King deserves to be worshipped?

As enlightening as answers to these questions might be, the Bible does not provide them – Which implies those are not the lessons God wants us to learn from their visit.

Lessons from the Wise Men

The Universal Scope of the Gospel

Is it not interesting that one of the first people to visit the Messiah after his birth were non-Jewish people? The Magi were Gentiles, yet they were among the first to worship Jesus. This is significant because, throughout the Old Testament, the Messiah was understood as the Savior of the Jewish people. We see here that the birth of Jesus is good news not only for the Jews but for all humanity, even for you, my non-Christian friend reading this.

A Hunger to Seek Jesus

Another striking lesson we learn from the Magi is their spiritual hunger. They didn’t have detailed directions—no town name, street address, or GPS. All they knew was that the King of the Jews had been born, and they were determined to find Him. Their journey of over 2,000 km would have been gruelling, especially in an era without modern transportation. How far are you willing to go, or what cost are you willing to pay to seek Jesus?

After such a long and arduous journey, I would have expected them to be grumpy, but that is not what we see. Instead, we read in verse 9 that “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” because they found Jesus.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, are you exceedingly joyful? If you are, what is it that makes you excited about Christmas? For these men, their joy was because they found Jesus. May that be the reason for our joy as well! 

Faith that Worships

Upon finding Jesus, the Magi’s response was immediate and profound. “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

We know from the other gospel accounts that Joseph and Mary were poor people. The humble circumstances in which Jesus was born is well documented. The question is, what did the wise men see that made them fall and worship this unremarkable baby?

In commenting on the wise men’s faith, J. C. Ryle, a 19^th Century Pastor and theologian, wrote,

“They believed in Him when they saw Him as a little infant on Mary’s knee and worshiped Him as a king. This was the crowning point of their faith. They saw no miracles to convince them. They heard no teaching to persuade them. They beheld no signs of divinity and greatness to overawe them. They saw nothing but a newborn infant, helpless and weak, and needing a mother’s care like any one of us. And yet when they saw that infant, they believed that they saw the divine Savior of the world. They fell to the ground and worshiped Him.”

Perhaps you are waiting for a convincing proof to consider the claims of Christianity. There is no better proof than the one provided by these wise men. They were not Christian, not even Jewish. Yet, God opened their eyes to see that this baby was not an ordinary child but the Saviour of the world. Not that God needed validation from these men to prove the truths of the Christian faith, “but this is written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

The Response of the Priests and Scribes

Next, we consider the response of the chief priests and scribes to the news of Jesus’ birth. Their role appears in Matthew 2:4-6:

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”’”

At first glance, their response might seem helpful. They provided Herod with the exact location of the Messiah’s birth, citing prophecy. However, their actions—or lack thereof—reveal a deeper issue: indifference.

As the custodians of God’s Word, the chief priests and scribes were intimately familiar with the Messianic prophecies. For centuries, Israel’s prophets had foretold the coming of a King who would deliver the people. Yet, when this long-awaited event occurred, they did nothing.

How could they, the ones most knowledgeable about the Scriptures, miss the significance of this moment? The Gentile Magi travelled thousands of kilometres to worship Jesus, yet these religious leaders, who were a short distance from Bethlehem, made no effort to seek Him.

The Danger of Familiarity

It is possible to become so accustomed to the Christmas story—or the gospel itself—that its wonder and significance no longer move us. The priests and scribes knew the Scriptures but did not allow that knowledge to lead them to worship.

As followers of Christ, we must ask ourselves:

• Have we heard the Christmas story so often that it no longer fills us with awe and joy?
• Do we, like the priests and scribes, possess knowledge without action?

A Missed Opportunity

The apostle John describes this tragic response in John 1:11-12:

“He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

The priests and scribes had every opportunity to receive their King, but they did not. In this story, they functioned more like signposts. They pointed the wise men in the right direction but had no intention of going there themselves.

Their brief and unremarkable role in the nativity narrative foreshadows their later opposition to Jesus’ ministry. Their hearts remained hardened despite their knowledge, leaving them blind to the significance of the Messiah’s birth.

A Call to Rediscover Awe

The indifference of the priests and scribes challenges us to examine our own hearts. Are we signposts pointing others to Christ while failing to seek Him ourselves?

This Christmas, let us not miss the opportunity to rediscover the awe and wonder of Jesus’ birth. May the good news of His coming fill us with the same joy and worship that inspired the wise men.

“But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” Let us be among those who receive and worship Him with all our hearts.

The Response of Herod

Having considered the responses of the Wise Men and the religious leaders, let’s now turn to Herod’s response. In Matthew 2:3, we read:
“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

This verse reveals the true state of the human heart before salvation. Like Herod, humanity does not naturally want God to be King. Acknowledging God’s kingship means surrendering control of our own lives and submitting to His will.

That was what led our first parents, Adam and Eve, to rebel against God. They rebelled because they could not accept that God would forbid them from eating the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden. True to form, Herod was just being human with the DNA of his first parent, which is to rebel against God. 

Herod’s fear of losing power drove him to take extreme measures. First, he employed deception to gather information about Jesus. After consulting the chief priests and scribes to determine where the Messiah was to be born, he summoned the Wise Men secretly, saying:

“Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him” (Matthew 2:8).

However, God, who sees the heart and knows all things, intervened. In a dream, the Wise Men were warned not to return to Herod, and they departed by another route.

When his plan of deception failed, Herod resorted to brutality: “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under” (Matthew 2:16).

It is difficult to read this account without feeling appalled. How could anyone justify the killing of innocent children simply to preserve their grip on power? Yet, Herod’s actions reveal the extreme lengths to which human rebellion against God can go.

A Heart Posture of Rebellion

While Herod’s cruelty may seem extreme, his heart posture is not unique. The same resistance to God’s rule exists in everyone who has not surrendered to Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Some may object: “I’m not against Christianity; I’m just not religious.” Others may say: “I haven’t done anything wrong that requires me to be saved.”

But consider this: Why do you resist when someone shares the gospel with you? Why do you feel uncomfortable when friends or family urge you to repent and believe in Jesus? Could it be that, deep down, you do not want to acknowledge God as King because it means surrendering control?

Jesus Himself said:
“Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30).
There is no neutral ground. Each of us must decide where we stand in relation to Jesus. Are you with Him or against Him?

A Reminder of God’s Sovereignty

In closing, let’s reflect on two important observations from this passage:

1. God’s Plan is Unstoppable

Three times in this chapter, Matthew emphasises that the events surrounding Jesus’ birth occurred to fulfil what the prophets had foretold. This reminds us that history unfolds according to God’s sovereign plan.

Just as the birth of Christ was prophesied and fulfilled, so too is His promised return. This time, Jesus will come not as a Savior but as a Judge. God’s track record of prophecy and fulfilment is perfect, and we would be wise to take the predictions of Scripture seriously.

2. Kingdoms Rise and Fall, But Jesus Reigns Forever

The chapter begins with the reign of Herod, a king determined to destroy Jesus. It ends with Herod’s death and Jesus’ return to Israel as the true King of the Jews. Herod sought to preserve his kingdom by opposing Jesus, but his efforts were in vain. Two thousand years later, we continue to proclaim Jesus as the Savior of the world, while Herod’s name is mentioned only as a footnote in history.

No matter what kingdom or personal empire you build for yourself, remember this: Kingdoms rise, and kingdoms fall, but only one King reigns over all.

What is Your Response?

We have considered three responses to the birth of Jesus:

• The Wise Men sought Him and worshipped Him.
• The priests and scribes ignored Him.
• Herod rebelled against Him.

What is your response? None of us can remain neutral. We either accept Christ through repentance and faith or reject Him by continuing in rebellion.

Whatever choice you make, remember this: You will one day give an account for it. I pray that, like the Wise Men, you will seek and adore Jesus, for He is the Messiah and the world’s Saviour.

Merry Christmas!

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According to Worldometer [1], the world’s religious population consists of 31% Christians, 23% Muslims, 16% unaffiliated, 15% Hindus, 7% Buddhists, 6% Folk religions, 1% other religions, and 0.2% Judaism. Apart from the unaffiliated, who comprise atheists and other non-believers in God, the question that arises is, who do all these religions worship? The general sentiment of the world is that we all worship the same God. But is this true?

In John 4, Jesus has an interesting conversation with a woman described as a Samaritan woman, which I believe addresses the question of worship. Several issues were raised in the conversation, but of utmost interest in this article is the object of worship: Who do we worship?

In John 4:20-26, the focal point unmistakably revolves around worship, emphasised by the deliberate repetition of the term. Notably, verse 23 contains three instances of it, while verses 20, 22, and 24 each feature two occurrences, with one more mention in verse 21. Thus, clarifying the concept is essential. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Worship is defined as:

1. To honor or show reverence for a divine being or supernatural power,
2. To regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
3. To perform or take part in worship or an act of worship.

From the definition, we observe that worship has an object—it is directed towards something or someone. The question is, to whom? Again, the general idea is that all ways lead to God. But Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan shatters this assumption. Worship, Jesus is clear, must be offered to the Father, the only true God. He is the object of our worship (John 4:21-24). The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) communicates this explicitly:

There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to Him alone: not to angels, saints or any other creature; and since the fall, not without a mediator; nor in the meditation of any other but of Christ alone (WCF 21.1-2)

The myriad religions across the globe serve as a testament to humanity’s innate religious instinct. It seems we cannot exist in a religious void; there is a natural inclination within us to seek out and revere something greater than ourselves.

God’s Self-Revelation

Everyone thinks of God, even though we might not be prepared to admit it. If you haven’t asked these questions already at one point in your life, soon they will be gnawing at you: “is this all there is to life?” “Can there be more to life?” “What is life all about? Why am I on Earth? “What next after this life?

Everyone asks these questions and experiences a void. Only God himself can fill this void. “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in God”, said Augustine of Hippo. But rather than turning to God, we turn to the wrong places. The joy, however, is that God has not hidden himself from his creation: He has revealed himself to all humankind. He can be known. He can be worshipped. He can be loved.

Christian theology speaks of two ways by which God has revealed himself to humankind, namely, via General Revelation and Special Revelation. General revelation, as the name suggests, is general. It is common knowledge everyone has access to. God has revealed himself in the natural world to everyone; therefore, the apostle Paul writes,

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)

Idols Of the Heart

But despite God’s self-revelation, man’s rejection of him continues, leaving us with a wanting soul. We are meant to find our satisfaction only in God. That was the fundamental need of the Samaritan woman in John 4. She was seeking satisfaction in life but in the wrong places: in men and temples. In broken relationships and manmade buildings (John 4:18, 20). She had made idols in her heart. That may ring a bell for us. The list of idols we create in our lives is endless. We are idolaters at heart. We may not bow to graven images explicitly, but are idolaters in our hearts, replacing worshipping God with the pursuit of things. In his Institutes of Christian Religion, John Calvin rightly noted, “the human heart is a perpetual factory of idols.” What this means is that we are constantly producing idols to worship instead of worshipping the true God.

As noted earlier, we innately seek out someone or something to worship. Rather than worshipping the true God, we run to idols. There is an intriguing event in Acts 17, where Paul gets to Athens and, by observation, finds so many idols lined up. As if the plethora of idols were not enough, they had another one with the inscription “To The Unknown God.” The Greeks, as Paul argues in verse 22, were religious. They had a deity for everything: fertility, love, harvest, etc.; it was a Pantheon of gods. Because of their religious nature, they didn’t want to upset any other god they didn’t know. Hence the inscription: “To the unknown god”. And Paul, with evangelistic zeal, seized this opportunity to shift their attention from an unknown god to the one true God:

“What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:23c-27)

God Seeks the Lost

Perhaps, like the Athenians, you may be involved in one form of false religion or another. You may have believed in things which are not true. But the good news is that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10) and now calls all those who have been saved to worship: “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). We can only worship a God we know. God has made Himself known. While I mentioned God’s revelation in nature (General Revelation) earlier, it doesn’t fully reveal God to sinners personally. Thus, Christian theology emphasizes God’s Special Revelation in Scripture and, ultimately, in Jesus Christ:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7)

Inherent in our fallen nature is a reluctance to truly seek God. Scripture articulates this plainly: “There is no one who seeks for God” (Romans 3:10-17). Yet, in stark contrast to our waywardness, God initiates the search for sinners. The core of the Gospel message is that God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to save sinners (John 3:16). The narrative of the Bible is one of a Holy God on a rescue mission – A rescue mission to rescue sinners. God gave his Son—Jesus—to pay for the sins of his people. This brings about reconciliation between God and Man. While nobody bothers seeking God to worship him, God seeks out worshippers. God is seeking to reconcile humanity unto himself.

Worship is fundamentally about reconciliation and communion with God, a reality exclusively found in the person of Jesus Christ. He has made the Father known. There’s no need to ascend mountains; instead, come to Him in faith and discover true rest in Him. Worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Note

1. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

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Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me,bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy (Psalm 103:1-4).

You remember the Biblical charge “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might”? (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37). Here is a demand on the totality of our whole being–holding nothing back. Without any trace of doubt, King David wouldn’t be oblivious of this. Thus in his moment of praise, he employed his whole soul and all that is within him.

From my experience, the natural response when one ponders what God has done in their lives should be praise. According to Matthew Henry,

“We make nothing of our religious performances if we do not make heart-work of them, if that which is within us, nay, if all that is within us, be not engaged in them.” ¹

In 1 Chronicles 17:16-20, after God has given David a promise to establish his house and his throne, he went into the temple and poured his heart out in praise to God. David was a man with an appreciative heart, as we must also be. In many places in Scripture, we are admonished to give thanks to God. Infact, Jesus threathened, so to speak, that if we do not praise God, God is able to raise stones to praise him. That my dear friends is sobering.

Looking closely at David’s praise, here are three things he praises God for.

God’s Holiness

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

The starting point of David’s praise is the acknowledgment of God’s holiness. That infact appears to be the proper pattern of Scripture. And Jesus taught it in what is commonly called The Lord’s Prayer saying; “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9). “Hallowed be your name”: that is reverence! When we approach God in praise, we must come with awe and adoration of his holiness: “Reverence for God’s self-revelation is the heart of the third commandment (Ex. 20:7) says R.C. Sproul. ²

God is holy–he is purely distinct from all others. Holiness is the highest of God’s attributes. All other things from God flows from his moral perfection. He is pure and there is no darkness in him. (1John 1:5). After they had crossed the red sea and the Israelites had witnessed all of God’s power, Moses, together with the people broke forth in praise singing: “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11 ).

Acknowledging God’s holiness puts our lives in proper perspective. He is holy and we are not. Albeit, we have been called upon as believers to partake in God’s holiness: “Be ye holy, for it is written, I am holy.” (1Pet 1:16). This command looks daunting because the standard for holiness is God’s standard. How then can we sinful humanity get to be holy as God? “No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness.” This dread showed in the Prophet’s Isaiah encounter of God’s holiness in a vision, he literally shuddered: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5). For us who have come to saving faith, we are indeed sure of this one truth that God will work through us to attain the desired result–holiness (Phil. 1:13).

God’s Benefits

forget not all his benefits

What a loaded phrase. The Psalmist prompts himself not to forget all what God has done for him. Humans do forget but as believers we must not allow our hearts to fossilise in forgetfulness in our walk with God. Paul writing to the Philippians repeatedly prompted them to rejoice. And is quick to note that “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” (Phil. 3:1). You see, one of the ways by which we learn is repitition—constant reminders.

Martin Luther in his commentary on Galatians says this about gospel preaching: “Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well[the gospel], teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.” That speaks about repitition—constant reminders about gospel truth so we don’t forget. Have you ever paused to ponder your life before God? As the hymn writer said: “Count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Do you consider all what God has done in your life? Can you pay back? Then praise him.

God’s Salvation

Who forgives all your iniquity

Dear believer, “do you thank God for your salvation and that of other believers”? Perhaps many of us may thank God for numerous things in life but not our salvation. We may take it for granted that we are saved. If that is the case, you must repent because salvation came at a high cost—the cost of the life of Jesus Christ. See, he has redeemed our life from the pit—from desruction; from death, from eternal damnation. In our natural, unbelieving state as humans; God still saved us. That calls for praise. Praising God for our salvation appears to be the pattern of Scripture. David in this Psalm makes the work of God’s salvation the basis of his praise: “Bless [him] … who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”

Apart from David, we see other biblical characters praising God about salvation. When Paul pondered the great work of salvation wrought by God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son and applied to our hearts through the Holy Spirit; he burst forth into doxology.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved (Eph. 1:3-6).

The Apostle Peter in like fashion as Paul, gave us words celebrating the great work of God’s salvation: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Pet. 1:3-4).

In salvation, God has extended his mercy to us who are unworthy. We who are undeserving of anything from God yet he has saved us: “who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” We can only be grateful and live our lives for him. Amen.

Notes:
1 Matthew Henry, “Psalms 103”, https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/psalms/103.html, accessed 31st March, 2019

2. R.C. Sproul, The Reformation Study Bible (Orlando: Florida, The Reformation Trust, 2016) 1763

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