iShineInMinistry

Psalm 51:3-4 (ESV)

 

For I know my transgressions,

 

and my sin is ever before me.

 

Against you, you only, have I sinned

 

and done what is evil in your sight,

 

so that you may be justified in your words

 

and blameless in your judgment.

 

 

 

I remember occasions in my childhood, college and even last week where I have had to apologize for the things that I have done. From coloring on the wall, to running up yet another credit card bill for my mom to pay, to changing plans on a friend last minute because (in my absurd opinion) they move too slow for my pace…or even for not showing my mom my final grades in college when my GPA lowered by two entire points.

 

 

 

During some of those times, I know I was genuinely apologetic about the situation and what I had done. Other times, I may have just said sorry because I knew that’s what the other person wanted to hear. Then there were times (like the grades) when I was genuinely repentant and sad that I had let my mom down. As I think through those moments and all the things that we see that happen around us on the daily basis, my thought is…are we truly sorry all the time? Or are we just sorry we got caught?

 

 

 

I think about this often when I’m around children. They know the right thing to do is say sorry, because it’s what they have been taught. My question is, would they just continue as is if no one ever mentioned their wrongdoing? Then my thoughts come to us as adults. As we hear so many stories of wrongdoing and years of secret sins, are people truly sorry for what they have done? Or, do they know, as little children, that this is the correct thing to say when we get caught doing wrong?

 

 

 

I want each of us to take a personal inventory this week and notice each time we apologize to someone. Do we really mean it? Are we coming forward or waiting for them to “catch us” before we apologize for our actions? Then, I really want us to think about how our hearts are when we pray for forgiveness to the Lord for our sins.

 

 

 

He already knows what we did, there’s no hiding. Are we like David and genuinely realize the depth of what we’ve done or are we like a darling little three-year old that just say “sowwie” because we know we should?

 

 

 

I pray for all of us (myself included) that we will have hearts ready to confess, repent, turn away and desire to obey the Lord. Let’s be transparent before God and let Him make us clean, new, joyful and faultless as we walk this journey of faith, waiting for the day when we will be like Him and no longer need to apologize for our fleshy natures.

 

 

 

Read Psalm 51 in its entirety sometime this week! Then make that your prayer as you seek to stay close to the Lord. Do you need prayer for something specific? Do you need to confess to someone or the Lord something you have done? Feel free to email me your request!

 

 

 

Psalm 51:10 (NKJV)

 

Create in me a clean heart,

 

O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.