Tag Archives: Psalm 51:10-12

But what have you done for me lately?

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John, a teenager at the time, was listening to the exasperations of his mother. I suppose her frustrations we’re fueled by his not helping around the house, or perhaps a disrespectful attitude. She pleaded with him, reminding him the story that leads all teenagers to roll their eyes: “I carried you in my belly for nine months. I gave birth to you and nurtured you. I changed your diapers and taught you to read.” John, looked at his mother and said,

“But what have you done for me lately?!”

I chuckle when I think of this because I know John and his mom. They were actually quite close and both her pleading and his response were said in jest. But I wonder if you’ve asked that same question in the midst of real conflict and sorrow. Maybe your hard efforts go unnoticed, or worse yet, criticized. Maybe you’ve been on the giving end of a one-way relationship that seems to suck the life out of you for lack of a mutual demonstration of love and concern. Maybe you once knelt before the cross and asked Jesus to save you from your sins and to show you the abundant life he promised. Only now, you look at the difficulties in your life and wonder “God you once filled me with joy, but what have you done for me lately? Where did you go and why did you leave me in this life of woe?”

It’s not that God is a magic genie, subject to our every wish and command. He is not the Great Santa whose job is to fulfill our request list. And still, God promises to be with his people always. His promises of abundant life, filled with love, joy, and peace are true promises. They are ours for the asking. And yet, with our eyes focused on our troubles, we forget the promise, thinking, “It must not be true for me.” The reality of life on earth is that we often focus on our circumstances rather than on God.

I wonder how we might respond if God asked us the same question: “What have you done for me lately? What have you done in my name?” The wonderful news is “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-9

We couldn’t earn forgiveness or favor from God. He offers it to us freely. We access his gioodness and power through faith, which itself is a gift from God. Why? So we could be who we were meant to be, a new creation created in Jesus in order to do good in the world. There’s nothing wrong with random acts of kindness, but you and I were created for more than that. We were create to participate in the work that God himself has prepared us to do. We were made for the very purpose of helping others in practical ways and with the expressed intent of showing them the love of Jesus. We were made to experience and express love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Are these not the blessings he has offered to us recently, even in the day before us?

This leads me to measure my ambitions and personal interests against God’s better plan for me. Indeed, what have I really done for God lately? How have I shown his compassion? How has his power to overcome  my circumstances been evident in my conversations? Is there anything noticeable about my life because Jesus is doing something magnificent for me and in me, not just years ago or even recently, but right now? Is the light of Jesus hidden in my life, or is it able to shine brightly upon the lives of those around me?

“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

 

 

 

Powerful prayers of the bible

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During the tougher times of my cancer journey, many prayers were simply, “Lord, have mercy.” I didn’t have energy to say more. Perhaps simple word prayers throughout the day pleases Him best:  “Thanks!” – “Help me.” – “Praise God!”  In fact, His Word warns against the vain babbling of endless words. But when the words won’t come at all, there is another source of inspiration for prayer: Scripture.

 

“Read the Psalms, praise God once; pray them, praise God twice; sing them, praise God three times over!” There’s no value in repeated rote prayers just to say them out of tradition. But if they reflect the desires of your heart, let them become your heart-felt prayers.

 

Find solace in praying the 23rd Psalm. Substitute your name for ‘me’ and ‘my’:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff–they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

 

I’ve had many occasions to pray David’s shorter prayer (Psalm 51:10-12) throughout my life: “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 sustain me with a willing spirit.” It has been a heartfelt prayer to draw closer to my Creator and to live in accordance with His will, especially after I’ve messed up.

 

You might pray as Moses did: “Teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (Exodus 33:13,15)

 

You can personalize “The Lord’s Prayer” with words from your own heart. Tell him you want His name to be honored and respected in your life activities and ambitions. Describe your daily bread (needs). Confess specific sins. Forgive others by name. Ask God to help you live today with forever in mind.

 

We should pray trusting in the Lord, “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.” (Psalm 25:1)

 

Consider praying for others this way: “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.” (Philippians 1:9-10)

 

Or this way: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 4:14-19)

 

Let the powerful prayers of the bible speak your heart.

 

 

Do lukewarm Christians go to heaven?

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It’s a provocative question but I think it’s one we should ask; not to cast judgment toward others. I think we should ask it when we look at ourselves in the mirror.

 

Some people think they have it all figured out – everyone goes to heaven: you, Mother Teresa, and Hitler. Many people think whoever who does ‘enough’ good works will go to heaven. Others ‘imagine’ that there is no heaven or hell. But none of these views align with what I read in the bible.

 

Thankfully, I can’t judge the hearts of my fellow sojourners. God says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” (Romans 9:15, quoting Exodus 33:19) His grace cannot be earned or bought. It’s a free gift to all who truly believe and repent of their sin. But if we really believe that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” we should live accordingly, full-out, right?

 

The wheat and tares grow up together but are separated at harvest. There is a narrow gate that few go through and a broad gate to destruction that many enter. We’re told that all of Israel will be saved. But just as “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel,” (Romans 9:6) it seems not all who think themselves Christian are actually followers of Christ. Scripture calls for an active and living faith, evidenced by actions, that continually grows in maturity and fruit.

 

Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)  It’s a warning to those who profess to believe one thing but live in ways that contradict that belief.  While the natural response of a devoted follower of Christ should be ‘hot’ (on fire for the Lord), He’d rather us be hot or cold than lukewarm. His warning is to take a stance and live according to your belief. Otherwise, He will ‘spit out’ the lukewarm, unless they come to repentance. Does it seem likely He will spit out authentic Christians?

 

For sure, none of us live a perfect life.  If we could, we wouldn’t need a Savior. We all seek to live too much in the comfort zone instead of growing up in his likeness. It’s not a matter of who is a better Christian than someone else. It’s a matter of the heart.

 

God searches and knows our heart and invites us to do the same. Ask yourself if your desires and ambitions in life truly match His. Ask God to reveal the secrets of your heart that even you might not know. Ask Him to reveal if there is anything lukewarm about your faith and to change your heart.

 

Lukewarm is great for baths and picnics, but it’s a dangerous place for us spiritually. Don’t judge others. Simply yield your life to our wondrous and merciful God who wants to draw you into his presence – now and for eternity.

 

“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)

 

 

The ‘downward’ path of revival

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When someone who was alive suffers a devastating death-blow, the medical personnel will (unless a “no resuscitate” order was given) attempt to revive them, to bring them back to life.

 

But what about your spiritual being? Have you ever sensed that you had fallen asleep and had become nearly dead to your spiritual life? Have you ever said, “That’s okay. Do not resuscitate. I’m busy with other things just now.” Or have you felt a desperate and growing hunger to dig deeper in your spiritual life and bring it back to life? At times like those your spiritual heart, the center of your being, is telling you it is time for revival. It’s time to dig deeper and concentrate on the purpose of your life, while there is still time to live.

 

No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, there remains more progress to be made and more satisfaction to be enjoyed. Sometimes, we look at the journey and faint away, fearing the path that God may take us down will be too hard. Like a heart patient needing surgery, we say, “Change my heart O God, but please work a miracle so I don’t need to go through surgery and painful recovery.” Even those who do trust God, who know His plan always works toward our good, sometimes experience this nagging doubt when trials come around. There is this wondering, “How painful will His solution be and how long will it take?”

 

The path to revival always starts with pain. It cannot be avoided. It begins with a difficult hike along the downhill path of acknowledgment and confession of our prideful self, and the faithful vow to turn away from self and toward God, our refuge. Before “Change my heart O God” always comes “Take my heart, O God.” Revival doesn’t come until we realize how desperately we need God and how hopeless our life is in our own control. As someone said, “Revival is not the top blowing off, but the bottom falling out.”

 

Where are you? Have you come to that place where you realize that, on your own, you will continue to fall into the same wrong thinking and bad habits? Have you realized that spiritual revival is quite unsustainable in our own thinking? Let God know. Ask Him to help you rely on Him, to trust Him to give you courage, wisdom, and strength to go His way.

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 sustain me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:10-12

 

 

Change your heart – Change the world

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Never think a few caring people can’t change the world. for indeed, that’s all we ever have. – Margaret Mead

 

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

Change your heart; Change the world.

 

 

 

Break my heart for what breaks yours

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Probably, you have at some point in your life experienced a ‘broken heart,’ that feeling of deep despair and loss, whether momentary or long-lasting.

But have you ever ASKED for a broken heart? “Why in the world would I want to do that?” you might ask. Good question. After all, if we truly believe God wants the very best for us, why would we ask for a broken heart? Shouldn’t we ask for blessing instead? Well, yes you should. But have you ever asked yourself how MUCH blessing do you want? And what are you willing to endure to get it? Sometimes, blessing comes through an experience that breaks us of our earthly desires. It comes through a broken heart.

Is your heart broken when your children disobey and choose a path that is harmful for them? Do you think God’s heart was broken for a lost world? Do you think the heart of Jesus was broken for you when He put Himself on the cross for your sin and mine? What should our response be to such a sacrifice on our behalf? The apostle Paul answers, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11) In other words, “Give me the heart of Jesus for this world.” God is so interested in the condition of our hearts.

If we regard someone as a friend but then stay away from them when they are going through a difficult trial, what does that say about our friendship? If we say we want to love God and draw close to Him, we are saying we want to experience His heart. Are you willing to have your heart broken for the things that break’s God’s heart? How else will we draw closer to Him? How else will we join Him where he is already at work?

Let’s ask God to break our heart for what breaks His, so we can grow closer to Him and see ourselves and others through His eyes.