"Create in Me a Clean Heart"

“Create in Me a Clean Heart”

Psalm 51: 10-13

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me by your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall be converted to you.”

I have read through the Psalms so many times and marked verses in various colors as well as underlining in pen and pencil that some verses are hard to make out.  Several Psalms are ones I call my favorite, but to pick my absolute favorite one is impossible.  They have helped change the course of my life. 

However Psalm 51:10-13 is one that I have read more times than I can count.  Let me share my thoughts on this.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God” is simply asking God to help you become a better person by getting rid of your past sins and making you “as white as snow”.  In the book of Isaiah 1:18, it tells us that God wants to form a relationship with you.  How can you do that?  “Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

There isn’t a person on earth that hasn’t sinned and we carry those sins throughout our life if something doesn’t change. How can I have a clean heart?  The answer comes from 1 John 1:7 “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Take a moment to ask Jesus’ forgiveness of your past, your sins of the past and accept him as your Lord and Savior and your heart will be clean.

The next part of this verse is, “renew a right spirit within me.” What does this mean?  We can be a Christian, but we don’t always have a right spirit when dealing with others.  I have had people say to me, “Well I tithe every week even if I don’t want to.”  It might be the right thing to do, but not the right spirit of doing it.  Have you ever heard some people in church saying to another, “Oh, Darling; you look lovely today.  That dress is so pretty.”  Then they turn to another person and say, “Can you imagine wearing that to church?  It is so ugly on her.”  A complement spoken in the wrong spirit is better off not said at all.

“Don’t cast me away from your presence”; why would anyone feel that or say that unless they have denied the Lord in some way.  If you are afraid of God turning his back on you, you may feel that he might also remove the Holy Spirit from you.  What a terrible void that would leave in you.  Listen, God isn’t going to leave you if you think you’ve erred, He said he would never leave you or forsake you. The Holy Spirit is your Comforter; would a comforter leave you in a cold, dark place?  No, unless you walked away from Him.

There are times we have walked away from God and messed up really bad, but if you are born again, all you have to do is call on Him.  “Dear God, restore unto me the joy of your salvation.” You see, when we are disobedient to God or makes mistakes, we rob ourselves of the joy that God has given to us.  It’s almost impossible to be happy or glad in that place. We need joy in our life to be a child of God.

“Uphold me by your generous spirit.”  You could say it this way, “Uphold me by your Grace”.  God’s grace is so big and so kind. God said it himself in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  When we have times of weakness in our attitudes; our character and our actions, God’s grace can flow over it all and His mercy will give us strength.

The last line of these verses is so clear; it begins with the word, ‘Then’.  This means after you take care of the previous things you will be prepared to show sinners (those who don’t believe) how you were saved and kept by God in his mercy.  Only then can you minister to the lost and they too can be converted and saved.  This verse is the key to serving God.  “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall be converted to you.”

I believe, as Christians, we all want a fruitful life in Jesus Christ.  The Bible gives us all the tools to lead others to Jesus, but we must live for Him in order to succeed.  One day Christ will come back to this earth to get all those believers that are still alive and take them to heaven with him. The words of this old hymn describe it best.

                  What a Day That Will Be

“What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon his face, The One who saved me by his grace,
But when He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.”

"The Sanctuary"

The Sanctuary

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.”  Psalm 134:2

The word, ‘Sanctuary’ means a place of refuge, or safety.  It also can mean ‘a sacred place’.   The word ‘sanctuary’ is mentioned 434 times in the Bible.  We also refer to the place of worship in a church as the Sanctuary.

What is the importance of this word to be so freely used?  In fact, today we have ‘bird sanctuaries; there are places of Political Sanctuary. There are sanctuaries all around us, but these places of safety may be right in front of your eyes and you just don’t see them.

About eight years ago we moved out in the country and because I love bushes and flowers we planted many things.  One of them was a different kind of lilac bush.  Lilacs are my very favorite flower and wanted it planted where I could see it.  So we planted it by the back deck.  Never did we expect that bush to grow as large as it is.  It appears to be growing into a tree.  My husband put up his bird feeders nearby because we love watching the variety of birds that come to feed.  I looked out one day and he was standing by the bird feeder petting a small yellow finch that just set there.  The bird looked at him but went back to eating while he was being petted. He felt safe in his sanctuary.

The birds come to eat, but it appears they love to sit on the branches of that big lilac bush.  At times we have as many as 20 to 30 birds at one time.  We have everything from big mourning doves to tiny humming birds and everything in between.  This morning as I sat at my table looking out the slider and watching the birds, I realized that we have our own sanctuary. The birds have water and food and protection of the lilac bush. It is a place of refuge for them.

In Old Testament times God directed the Israelites to build a sanctuary in the desert.  It was there that God met his people and gave directions for their lives.  King David had a place of worship and he wrote this psalm about it, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.”   The Sanctuary became not only a refuge, but it was the place to worship God.

Every Christian needs a sanctuary where they can meet God.  We can pray anytime, anywhere, but it’s not a sanctuary. When King David wrote that Psalm, he explained exactly what we need to do.  We need to lift up our hands and praise the Lord in a place where we have the freedom to do that.  It isn’t always at church, although we should worship Him in church, but it can be out in the woods or on a quiet walk.  It can even be in your home if you have a place of no distraction.  For me, my sanctuary is my home office where I can close the door and put on some quiet worship music.  That’s the place where I get my inspiration to write and worship my heavenly Father.

Our church’s sanctuary is often where I feel God’s Holy Spirit moving. I don’t raise my hands just because it’s the thing to do, but I lift up my hands and praise God because he loves me and I want to love Him back.  Sometimes I feel nothing, but God still deserves my praise for how He watches over me and all my loved ones.  I feel safe in the Sanctuary because we are all believers and believers care about one another.  At times People are healed there, but they are not all physical healings. Healings can also be for mental illness, deep spiritual needs, and for the broken hearted.  More often than not we need to have our hearts healed by a loving God.

Perhaps you feel God has not answered your prayers, but that doesn’t mean that he has failed you; it means He knows what the best thing in the long run for all of us.   I love the scripture in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  It has proved true to me so many times and reminds me that if I am patient and trust God, He will take care of it.

Yes, I will raise my hands in the Sanctuary and I will bless the Lord with my praises and thanksgiving whether I feel it or not.  Some think we have a lot of emotional things going on in our church and don’t like it; could it be that you don’t have a good relationship with God?  You say you love God, but love is more than a word; love is and action. Show God you love Him – that’s why we “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.”   Try it sometime, God loves your praise.

Shiloh Tabernacle Fellowship

There is No Other God

There is No Other God

“I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me”. Isaiah 45:5

It is so interesting how people are so quick to accept changes from decade to decade, even if it includes Biblical truths.  It makes one wonder what is going on in their minds.  As Christians we should know that even though things around us change, we can feel the security that God never changes.  “For I am the LORD, I do not change.” [Malachi 3:6] 

How many times have we heard, “Religion and politics should be kept separate?  Don’t be shocked when I say that I agree with that.  The reason is that if religion is merged with politics, it would be terrifying because you don’t know what that religion would be.  It could be Buddhism, Islam, Atheism, or any other religion.  We must remember that this country was founded on Christianity and the principles of the Bible and led by the Spirit of God Almighty.

Let me share from the Ten Commandments that we, as Christians, have allowed to be removed from our schools.

I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me. 

You shall not bow down to them (carved images) or serve them.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 

Remember the Sabbath Day (Sunday) to keep it Holy.

Honor your Father and your Mother.

You shall not murder anyone. 

  

You shall not commit adultery (have sex with anyone if you aren’t married to them).  

You shall not steal.    

You shall not lie about friends and neighbors. 

You shall not covet what someone else has. (Don’t be jealous but be happy for them.)

There was a time when children in school had to learn this laws of God. As time passed they were no longer taught until finally all that was left was a plaque or framed list of the Ten Commandments.  Then a law was passed that no Bibles were to be allowed in school libraries. Now even the Ten Commandments have been removed from our schools that were the last reminder of our God.  The government doesn’t want any thing that is “religious” in our schools because we might offend other religions.  What they are really saying is, “We don’t want anything Christian or of God or Jesus in the schools.”

Through all of this, God has not changed.  He is still the same God who rules and reigns with His Son, Jesus Christ.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  [Hebrews 13:8]  You see, they can’t take God out of our schools because He is still there in the hearts of those who believe in Him and Him alone!  All through the Bible we are reminded there is only One God.  You may not see those words in public places, but if you know God and honor him, wherever you go, He is with you.

Many centuries ago God gave these words to the Prophet Isaiah.  “I am the LORD; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me, so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.”  [Isaiah 45:5-7]  Never forget who He is and He will always be there for you.

This is the commandment that Jesus left with us, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  [Matthew 22:37]

Pride in Working

Pride in Working

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

Labor Day weekend has come around too quickly for various reasons.  One of the reasons being is that it denotes the end of summer.  Another reason is that it means the beginning of another school year for little ones in kindergarten or older ones going off to college (such as our granddaughter’s first   year away to college).

Labor Day began in the late 1900’s to honor the workers for the contributions that have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.  Today in the USA, 41% of working age people are not working and 1 out of 3 of those don’t want to work.  This is a very poor outlook for this country if something doesn’t change.

I grew up in a time where people were proud of being a part of the work force.  During the ‘great depression’, there was no work and people were having a very hard time just to survive.  When it was over and jobs started to become available, they jumped at the chance to work.  I was taught to grow up having pride in what ever job I would have. 

I never forgot what I was taught and through the years where I worked, I gave it the best I could. I always got promotions wherever I worked and had a successful career.  This was my secret; I took on my job as though I owned the company and wanted it to be the best.  I knew I would never be rich and famous, but I felt good about it. As the years went by I taught my children that working was an honorable thing and to take pride in what they did.

The Apostle Paul set a prime example for working.  In 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 he said this, “nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. Not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.”   Work is the right thing in God’s eyes for us to do.

God has chosen to bless those who work with all honesty.  Being dishonest in your work ethics will never bring you any gain.  Proverbs 13:11 tells us that “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.”   Those who work hard and are honest in all they do will increase financially.

We can go back in history to the time of Adam and Eve.  They had it made and then made the mistake thinking they knew more than God did; first Eve and then Adam.  “You have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; ‘in toil’ you shall eat of it all the days of your life.”   This is the beginning of labor caused by man’s disobedience and still holds true today. 

The Apostle Paul sums it up this way in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”  For the 1 out of 3 people in our country who choose not to work, should they receive the food and helps they get from the government?  I have heard people make remarks about getting more with government aids than if they worked.  That’s a terrible attitude. 

Years ago I attended a workshop that had people out of work, but wanted to work, be tested for different skills.  I remember one woman, when asked, said she really liked to sew.  She went out looking for a job where she could sew and later on opened her own shop for ‘alterations’ and more.  A man said that he like to garden and work in his yard.  He got hired by a landscaping company and he used to work in a factory. Most of us have skills we never think about that could become a great job.

Don't lay around waiting for a job to fall in your lap.  If you want some pride in your life, get up and go to work.  You may think some jobs are beneath you, but you could still hold up your head and work.  I know of a young man some years ago began working in a ‘fast food’ place.  Today he owns a very large group of ‘fast food’ places; the same kind he used to work in.  With God all things are possible!