SIN, REPENTANCE, AND A CLEAN HEART
I let myself get emotionally distraught by the way
someone was acting, and what did I do about it? The wrong thing! I started
bad-mouthing the person in my mind and then it came out of my mouth. By the end
of the day, I realized I’d really messed up. But then the Lord reminded me of
the times people had said about me that I had a pure heart. Being emotionally
mean and having a pure heart just don’t go together. So I repented. I was
totally carnal in how I reacted. You know how certain things people do really
set you off, and sometimes you just don’t even know exactly why? Well that was
me. I was mad and didn’t even bother to ask myself why I was so riled up.
Maybe it was because I was reacting to something in
myself I didn’t like? That’s often the case. We see something we dislike about
ourselves in someone else, and we react to them because it’s easier than taking
the time to examine the same thing in ourselves! But the Lord constantly gives
us opportunities to change lingering sins from the past and become the new
creation in Christ that He’s called us to be. And by the way, we have at
least one angel or two, from the time of our birth, to help us to get to our
final destinies. In Matthew 18:10 Jesus tells us: “Take heed that ye despise
not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven
their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.’”
Angels to minister to us as children, and the Bible never says they’re taken
away. Think about that for a minute.
Anyway, back to my story. I felt bad about being so weak
as to let my emotions get to me, and the Lord urged me to go back in my mind to
a time when I was around 15 years old, reading the beatitudes in the Bible in
Matthew 5:3-12. I read Jesus teaching his disciples, saying:
“3Blessed are the poor in
spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they
that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the
meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the
merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure
in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they
which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
11 “Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matt. 5:3-12).
I remember thinking, “I want to be blessed;” Then asking,
“Which of these do I want the most?” Verse 8 rushed into my heart. I wanted to
see God more than anything, so I wanted to have a pure heart.
So when I was awful last week, and God reminded me of my
desire from so many years ago, I went to Psalm 51, which is where the Lord has
taken me so many times when I’m not such a nice person. It’s a psalm that David
wrote after he sinned with Bathsheba, and killed her husband.
1 “Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly
from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I
acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me” Psa.
51:1-3).
Notice the word “throughly” in verse 2. That means
through and through and through, not just thoroughly. Throughly indicates a
deeper cleansing. Iniquities are those evil things that come into us through
our bloodline; they have been there a very long time even possibly passed down four
generations in our family histories. So they need a through-and-through and
often the ministering of a brother or sister in Christ who is practiced and
believing in their authority and power in Christ to cast out demons.
4 “Against thee, thee only, have I
sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold,
I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psa. 51:4-5).
6 “Behold, thou desirest truth in
the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know
wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to
hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may
rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all
mine iniquities” (Psa. 52:5-7).
Psalm 51 is so great, but verse 10 is the one that for me
speaks louder than even all the rest:
10 “Create in me a clean heart, O
God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy
holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will
I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 “Deliver me from
bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing
aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my
lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For
thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in
burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 “Do good in thy good pleasure
unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. [i.e. make us strong] 19 Then
shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering
and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.”
The shepherd David, who became a king, could ask God to
forgive him, create in him a clean heart, renew a right spirit within him, and
make him strong once again. We have the same privilege from the same Lord, who
is above even all the heavens, who cares for us.
Love, Carolyn
No comments:
Post a Comment