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Follow the Leader

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Psalm 103:8 

 Before there were video games and virtual reality toys, activities seemed much simpler.  

 One game from childhood was “Follow the Leader,” which consisted of everyone lining up behind the leader and doing whatever he or she did. Jumping in puddles. Waving arms in the air. Running fast then standing still.  

 Kids today may never find amusement in playing such a game … however, as adults, we need to play Follow the Leader! And Psalm 103:8-12, gives us a great place to start. We should emulate the PERFECT Leader by being: 

 Slow to Anger. “The Lord is … slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (v. 8). 

 Over and over in scripture, God extends grace to His people … even when they don’t deserve it. Yes, God displays righteous anger, but He puts up with a great deal before reaching His boiling point. Why? To give His beloved every opportunity to turn from sin, seek His forgiveness, and follow in obedience.  

 Quick to Forget. “He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever” (v. 9). 

 God does not hold a grudge. When we seek His forgiveness, He forgives. And He forgets. Because we are human, we might not realistically be able to forget past wrongs, but we can choose to let them go and not hold them against the one who wronged us. 

 Gracious. “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (v. 10). 

 If God punished us every time we deserved it, we would be in a perpetual “time out.” But, thankfully, this is not how God works. Instead, the Bible says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” 

 As God extends grace to us, we must also be gracious to others! Not every mistake warrants punishment or stern words. Let your grace be a strong witness to your faith.  

 Filled with Great Love. “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” (v. 11-12). 

 His love runs as high as the heavens, as wide as the world — and beyond. God went to the greatest of lengths to offer us forgiveness of sins, and He offers hope, grace, freedom, and joy because of His great love! Follow the leader! 

 My prayer this week—Lord, help me live like you! Develop my character to look more like you every day. Showing compassion and graciousness. Slow to anger and quick to forgive. I want to have a heart like yours! Allow me to share you through my actions, as I follow your lead.