Tag: right spirit
Rejoice in restoration!
Scripture reading for June 12th: Psalm 48-51
Key Scriptures: Psalm 51:10-12 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take you Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
King David had sinned greatly by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband Uriah taken out. He was confronted by Nathan the prophet of God and he humbly confessed his need for cleansing in his heart and restoration. He even asked for a willing spirit and a continuation of God’s Spirit dwelling in him. God graciously answered this prayer and all who come to Him for mercy through Jesus Christ!
Rejoicing in restoration: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: That Go was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17-19)
Godly sorrow brings repentance!
Scripture reading for August 5th: 2nd Corinthians 7
Key scriptures for over-comers: 2nd Corinthians 7:9-11 “. . .yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”
Repentance is a word that is not always understood in the Christian community. It is often associated with sorrow and sadness concerning something that has caused brokenness or harm to another or to us. Sometimes, we feel that the sorrow is what God wants and continue to live under a spirit of oppression or depression because of what we have done. But God wants to set us free from condemnation through conviction of sin which brings the ‘godly sorrow’ that leads us to Christ for His mercy and cleansing. This delivers us from guilt and shame and enables us to change our action, attitudes and character to be more like Christ!
Observations for over-comers: Repentance and cleansing are a part of normal growth in the lives of over-comers as we allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and separate us from sin and its grip on our lives. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your Presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10-12)
A broken and contrite heart!
Scripture reading for June 13th: Psalms 50-54
David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of his friend, Uriah. This episode is recorded in 2nd Samuel 11-12. This was a dark blot on the life of a man who had walked closely with God for about 50 years. King David had decided to stay home from the war with Israel’s enemies to rest and relax. He let his eyes wander and ended up in bed with his neighbor’s wife. She became pregnant and instead of an abortion, David decided to try to frame his friend. When this didn’t work, he had his friend killed.
David committed adultery and then murder, sins that had no covering by sacrifice under the Law. Both of these sins required that the perpetrator be stoned to death. (Leviticus 20:10)(Leviticus 24:17) What is remarkable about King David’s confession of these sins, is that he considered them to be against God alone. (Psalm 51:4) He brought a sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart, appealing to God’s mercy! (Psalm 51:17)
A broken and contrite heart takes responsibility for sin. It admits to breaking God’s law instead of denial and blame. (Psalm 51:3-5) David even recognized that he was sinful from birth. David knew men were born in sin because of Adam’s sin! We can only be delivered supernaturally by God’s mercy through Jesus Christ!
Repentant hearts also recognize the importance of truth in them. (Psalm 51:6) Jeremiah stated that the heart by human nature was deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9-11) God searches the hearts of men and knows the truth about what is in them. David asked God for a clean heart and blotting out his iniquity!
Broken hearts desire the joy and salvation that comes from God’s grace of forgiveness. (Psalm 51:9-12) God alone can give a pure heart and a right spirit. This right spirit is one of brokenness and dependence on God’s grace. All pride in human effort must be set aside. This brokenness leads to a life of humble service and witness! Those who are forgiven much, love much. Because of love they want to do God’s will and bring praise to His Name! (Psalm 51:13-15)
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart , Oh God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
A broken and contrite heart!
Scripture reading for June 13th: Psalms 50-54
David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of his friend, Uriah, is recorded in scripture in 2nd Samuel 11-12. This was a dark blot on the life of a man that had walked closely with God for about 50 years. King David had decided to stay home from the war with Israel’s enemies to rest and relax. He let his eyes wander as his heart grew cold and ended up in bed with his neighbor’s wife. She became pregnant and instead of an abortion, David decided to try to frame his friend. When this didn’t work, he had his friend aborted! There is nothing new under the sun! The human heart away from God is desperately sick and full of sin!
Today’s reading contains the record of David’s confession and repentance from these sins. Both of these sins required that the perpetrators be stoned to death under God’s law. (Leviticus 20:10)(Leviticus 24:17) What is remarkable about King David’s confession of these sins, is that he considered them to be against God alone. God granted David forgiveness and grace under the law because of a broken and contrite heart! How we need this kind of heart today! Jesus Christ is forgiving sins today for those with a broken and contrite heart.
A broken and contrite heart takes responsibility for sin. It admits to breaking God’s law instead of denial and blame of someone else or even God. (Psalm 51:3-5) David even recognized that he was sinful from birth. We are born in sin because of Adam’s sin! We come by it naturally! We can only be delivered supernaturally by God’s mercy through Jesus Christ!
Repentant hearts also recognize the importance of truth in them. (Psalm 51:6) Jeremiah states that the heart by human nature is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9-11) God searches the hearts of men and knows the truth about what is in them. God wants to wash our hearts and cleanse them. David asks to be cleansed with hyssop. While in Egypt, the Israelites used Hyssop branches to sprinkle the blood of the sacrificial lambs on the doorposts of their houses to keep the death angel from striking the first-born. David asks God for a clean heart and a hiding of his sins from God’s face!
Broken hearts desire the joy and salvation that comes from God’s grace of forgiveness. (Psalm 51:9-12) God gives a pure heart and a right spirit. This right spirit is a spirit of brokenness and dependence on God’s grace. All pride in human effort and ability is set aside and humility comes in it’s place. There is joy and rejoicing and a willing spirit to follow the Lord and be taught of Him.
All of this brokenness leads to a life of humble service and witness! Those who are forgiven much, love much. Out of this love they want to do God’s will and praise His Name! (Psalm 51:13-15)
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart , Oh God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17