I remember sharing Psalm 103 at the bedside of a member of my congregation who was very near the end of his time here on earth. While he was unable to respond, his wife and I talked about the comfort these words give.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…”

Even when we face death, those who have put their confidence in Christ have reason to praise Him and remember all the blessings that He gives to us while here on earth. More than that, we have the “benefit” of knowing our sins will not be held against us because Jesus paid the price for them all.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

It is not that God simply “gets over” our sins as time goes along. No, His justice demands payment for sin, and “the wages of sin is death.” But we don’t get what our sins deserve—thanks be to God. In fact, we get what we don’t deserve because of what Christ did for us with His perfect life, death in our place, and victory over death.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Our sins have been removed because Jesus paid their penalty. God’s love led Him to provide Christ as our substitute. The people in the Old Testament were saved by believing God’s promise that had not yet been fulfilled in Christ. We are saved by believing the same promise that was fulfilled by all Jesus did for us.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;   the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”

This past Wednesday Christians around the world had ashes placed on their foreheads and heard the words “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” God remembers that, and we should, too. Our time on earth will end. But those who are in Christ look forward to going to be with Christ, which is better by far.

“But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him…

Praise the Lord, O my soul.”