Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Psalm 51: Create In Me A Clean Heart

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

5 Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

My sin is ever before me! I am so unworthy of this salvation that I have been given. Whenever I am tempted to think that I have arrived at some higher spiritual marker, God shows me the rebellious child within me! But a broken and contrite heart He will not despise. As quickly as He shows me my sin, He show me my Savior, and restores the joy of my salvation.

But I can't stay there, reveling in my joy, rejoicing in my little Christian box, with my Christian family, in my Christian world. The world I live in is not Christian!

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

Lord, help me not be annoyed at the way that my life is "interrupted!" My life is yours, there can be no such thing as an interruption if I have given my life to you. Help me to use the opportunities that you give me to teach your ways, that sinners will return to you! Open my lips so that my mouth will declare your praise.

Let me be a part of your work, Lord. Let me see your kingdom grow, and people in the communities around me turn to you. Give me opportunity and then give me the words to say and the courage to say them. It begins and ends with you, Lord. Just let me be an instrument.

4 comments:

JanAl said...

Love it ! God did not place us here to live in a box. I pray that my testimony of victory and struggle, will declare the glory of God, who is Worthy of all Praise and Honor.

Amanda said...

I'm certain that it will. I have not heard your whole story, but I know you have one to tell! Wherever you began, God has grown you into a woman of Grace.

JanAl said...

Sorry, in my quickness, I fail to be clear. For some reason, I think people can read my mind, since I 'think' I can read others. LOL.
I was thinking more along the line of daily testimony/daily struggles. You are right Amanda, my life story/testimony, God has changed me and done amazing things in my life.
My thoughts are(not directed at you Amanda, just sharing my thoughts), if we live our life in a 'christian box', and hide our daily struggles with sin & human nature, and we do not live our lives in honesty, then how can we relate to the world around us? How can someone who doesn't know Christ as Savior, and know of His Peace & Forgiveness that He offers, if we are not honest about who we are, being, that we are a sinner just like them, but have received forgiveness and mercy, undeserved.
What I meant to say is that God will receive Glory, when I am victorious over my struggles, and I pray that God will use my struggles, and my honesty in those areas, to share God's Amazing Grace.
Have mercy on my quickness, :}

Amanda said...

Janal,
Either way, daily or lifelong testimony, God is being glorified through your life! Blogs are notorious for misunderstandings, its not just you! I guess I had that in my head because you have been talking about writing out your testimony.

Anyway, I agree totally. I think we are far too quick to hide our blemishes around people we are trying to be a witness to. They want to know that there's hope for them. If we don't let them see that we struggle, they will assume that we're a totally different breed of people and they will see no hope in us or our God.