Because our parents were imperfect, we can have problems with God as a parent figure. It is so important to correct this so that we can experience the intimacy and security that the Father offers us.
This psalm is beautifully constructed, and designed to stir our hearts to praise God by painting a picture of how he cares for us so deeply. What encouragement!
We already knew that God is a God of power yet compassion, purity yet forgiveness, high above all but utterly faithful as a friend. But Jesus revealed something new, something shocking, something almost unbelievable, at the very core of the supreme being.
What does it mean to bless someone? Does it actually do anything? How can a human bless God? We need a firm Biblical foundation for answering these questions.
The truth behind baptism is deeply empowering and encouraging, and can explain some of the tensions we experience as we try to live the Christian life.
The resurrection of Jesus was not simply coming back to life, but the start of a new kind of humanity. It gives us access to a new kind of life within us—empowered for victory.