“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

To appreciate freedom, we must realize what it means to be enslaved. Slavery still exists—involuntary in servitude. For some, it is not difficult at all to relate to. Addiction, abuse, imprisonment, lack of choices–all would be forms of enslavement. To appreciate sight, we must realize what it means to be blind. Sometimes blindness is literally the physical inability to see. Sometimes blindness is because we failed to see the truth, we have been fooled or mislead.

Jesus makes this bold promise early in his ministry, right after his time in the wilderness. He is paraphrasing Isaiah, who was prophesying about the coming Messiah. During the time of Isaiah, the people of Judah were under threat of domination by Assyria and Babylonia. During the time of Jesus, the Jewish people lived under Roman rule. Not only that, but the Jewish people also lived under the covenant of works—believing that strict obedience to the Law would save them.

The truth of our situation is that ever since Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan rather than God, ever since they bought into the deception promoted by Satan–the Father of Lies–that they knew better than God, sin has dominated the earth and controlled our lives. We are enslaved by sin. And sin is death. It may look and feel good for a time, but sin ultimately dooms us to the eternal lake of fire. There is only one way out, only one way to be rescued, and that is by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

During this time of Lent, we reflect on Jesus’ three years of ministry as well as his final week of Passion, his crucifixion, death and burial, and resurrection and ascension. Jesus did indeed proclaim the gospel; he did heal and perform many miracles. The Pharisees and other Jewish leaders were constantly challenging him about his claims to be the Messiah. In the passage above, he is preaching freedom for the prisoners and oppressed (those enslaved by sin) and recovery of sight for the blind (those unable to see the Truth for who He is). In other words, Jesus is preaching salvation, and he is promising to deliver us, to redeem us, to rescue us from our enslavement to sin.

And how is Jesus above to accomplish our rescue, our redemption? By personally paying the price for our freedom. Jesus was obedient when we failed to be obedient. He humbled himself “by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8). With his death on the cross, he accomplished our freedom. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

All we need to do is to receive this marvelous gift is to believe.

“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

In Christ,

Judy

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

This verse certainly sounds like a promise to me. It is conditional: if we confess, then Jesus forgives. But we need to get this positioned correctly. This is not a promise of salvation. In fact, John’s letter in which this promise is stated is written to believers, people who are already saved. So why do we need to confess? Because as Christians, we have a right desire to pursue a deeper and growing relationship with Jesus.

Part of coming a Christian is admitting that we are sinners. Then, in our salvation, we are new creations in Christ, no longer defined by our sinful nature. However, that does not mean that we stop sinning. Oh, we wish we could! Like Paul, we bemoan our propensity to sin. “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18b-19). Unfortunately, we will sin until we die. But the difference is that we have someone to go to. Someone who loves us and wants to forgive us when we ask. This is part of working out our salvation. As believers, we are justified in Christ. Our justification, or right standing with God, is the basis for our continued forgiveness when we confess our sins.

In the Chaplain’s Corner series on the fruits of the spirit, we learned that peace really means reconciliation. Jesus, as Prince of Peace, died on the cross in the great exchange to reconcile back to God those who receive this wonderful gift, as stated in John 3:16. This is what we remember during this Lenten season. Sin results in separation from God. Confession and forgiveness are how we are reconciled to God. Quoting from the June 15, 2022 Chaplain’s Corner, “It all starts with our personal relationship with God. We must be fully reconciled to God. That means we regularly confess our sins to Him, or in other words, agree with Him about our thoughts, words, and actions. It means that we regularly seek His forgiveness and strive to obey Him. It means that we receive His forgiveness and His love, and that we are always thankful. And the good news is that Jesus has already made peace with us. ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you’ (Isaiah 26:3).“

There is something more to know about forgiveness. Jesus is very clear that if we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven. This is also a promise.

• “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).
• “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them” (Luke 17:3-4).
• “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).
• “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22).
• The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

So, we must confess our sins regularly. And if we struggle with unforgiveness in our own hearts, we must also genuinely confess that as well and ask God through the power of the Holy Spirit to give us a spirit of forgiveness. If this is difficult for you, this article may help.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).

In Christ,

Judy

“The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:22).

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

What a promise! And this is no light or small thing.

• To condemn means “to pronounce to be guilty, to sentence to punishment, or to pass judgment against.”
• Wisdom tells us that it is our sin that condemns us. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
• And every single one of us is guilty. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
• And that condemnation results in death. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

So, what is our hope, then? Our hope is in Jesus. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17).

Notice the opening scripture in Romans; it begins with the word, “therefore.” Whenever we see that word, we must ask “what is it there for?” Typically, the preceding verses will tell us. In this case, Romans 7:21-25 gives us part of a discourse by Paul on our sinful nature: ^“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful naturea slave to the law of sin.”

The fact is that we are born with a sin nature, and we live in a corrupt environment. We, in and of ourselves, have no power over the presence of sin in our lives. In other words, we have no hope in ourselves or anyone else to rescue us, other than the blood of Jesus, who died to save us from our sins. Jesus paid the price for our sins. All we must to is believe and receive this unbelievably valuable gift. I love that the word “rescue” is part of our mission. As the Mission, we do offer an earthly last resort to anyone who is broken, down, and out. However, ultimately, Jesus is our rescue, our savior. In the words of Paul in Romans 7:24-25:

“Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

In Christ,

Judy

“And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

We are in the season of Lent, 40 days of preparing our hearts to celebrate the resurrection of Christ the King. In studying the life of Christ, we reflect on the 40 days that he spent in the wilderness preparing for his earthly ministry. During this time in the wilderness, while fasting and praying, Jesus was approached by Satan who offered him a seemingly desirable way out of his hardship. Jesus, seeing Satan for who he was, engaged in spiritual warfare and so gave us a model for the “way out” of temptation. (Luke 4:1-13).

First, we should understand that God never tempts anyone. The source of temptation is Satan.

• And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil” (Luke 4:1-2).
• James declares“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” (James 1:14).
• But if that is so, where do our evil desires come from? Paul explains in Romans 7:19-20 – “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

So, the source of temptation ultimately Satan, allowed into our world through the sin of Adam.

Secondly, understanding the source of our temptation along with the existence of it, we can deduce that God does allow us to be tempted. There are famous examples right out of the Bible of great men who were tempted, men like Job and Peter. We look to James again to help us to understand the purposes of our temptation: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).

So, we see that God allows us to be tempted to help us to grow. These temptations we face—both small and large—can also be considered trials, tribulations, or tests. And they are opportunities for growth. How, you say? When you were in school and you knew you were going to have a test, hopefully you studied and learned what you needed to pass the test. If you were going out for a sport, you trained to get yourself in shape so that you could make the team. In the same way, if you are facing a trial, test, or temptation, with the help of the Holy Spirit use your will and your abilities and you will gain strength to overcome, mature, and grow.

Coming back to the promise: what is the way out that God has provided when we are tempted? How can we truly overcome the temptations of sin?

Before:

• Pray in advance. “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).
• Set boundaries, erect hedges. Try to anticipate tempting circumstances, bad news, etc.; and plan how to avoid or control them. My favorite personal example is when I go to a party with a buffet table. I decide in advance not to hover around the table, otherwise I will graze the entire time. If I do not anticipate this situation and get my mind right, I will find myself eating way too much.

During:

• Flee. Do not think you can remain in an evil environment and not succumb. The devil will influence you to minimize the risk, make it look desirable, give you all kinds of rationalization. You must run away from temptation. Many times, the Bible tells us to flee!
• Reframe the situation (following the example of Jesus in the wilderness), aligning the temptations with scripture. The Word of God is quick and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). It is our best defense. “Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (Ephesians 6:14).
• Pray without ceasing. “If anyone of you are facing trouble of any kind, let then pray” (James 5:13). Note that this is written in the continual sense, not past tense or future tense, but present.

After:

• Daily evaluate the events that have transpired. Where did you succeed and where did you fail? How should you have responded to that unkindness? Should you have shared that confidential or hurtful information? Is God pleased with your bitter and jealous thoughts? Should you have been more cheerful when asked for help? This evaluation should lead to conviction. “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:40).
• Once we are convicted of our sin and failure, then ask Jesus for forgiveness, and repent.  “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).
• Use your experience to help someone else. Remember what Jesus told Peter during the Last Supper: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32).

Ultimately, our way out is Jesus himself. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

In Christ,

Judy

“Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life “(Mark 6:4).

I was blessed to have had parents who faithfully made church attendance a regular part of our lives. As such, I attended many worship services and was witness to many baptisms, which in the case of our church were immersions. I remember thinking how important Timothy’s mother Eunice was, because our preacher always mentioned her during baptisms. Each time he would raise someone out of the water, he would proclaim, “Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in ‘Eunice’ of life!”

I was relieved to finally solve the mystery of “Eunice,” to learn that the correct word was “newness.” I am continually awed to know that God can transform us, to make us new creatures. Only God is the Creator. Only God can make us new through the saving work of his son, Jesus, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. This verse is especially fitting for this week following Easter when we just celebrated the Resurrection. It is because of Christ’s work on the cross that we can be cleansed of our sin. The cross symbolizes death to sin, and death to death, so that we are free to live our Redeemed Lives in Christ forever.

This Lenten season we have been focusing on the heart, which we define biblically as “the ‘basket’ term for our mind, our will, our emotions, and our conscience.” We are describing the pathway by which our hearts respond and therefore change from rebellious to renewed.

The first step on the pathway is recognition, which means that we see our sin the way God sees our sin. Only God’s viewpoint is total objective as He is the standard of true righteousness.

The second step on the pathway is responsibility, a broken and contrite heart.

The third step on the pathway is regeneration, the act of the Holy Spirit transforming our hearts.

The fourth step on the pathway is repentance, turning away from sin and (re)turning to God.

The fifth and final step on the pathway is renewal.

Renewal is the objective, our destination. All the other steps are the means to achieve the objective. The goal of a responsive heart is restored relationship, renewed to something even better than before.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their intimate relationship with God. They were banished from the Garden of Eden, and their relationship was broken.

God sent his Son, Jesus, to reconcile us back to him. Not by obeying the law, because none of us is righteous enough to be perfectly obedient. It is only through the perfect righteousness of Jesus, who paid the ultimate price of death on the cross, that we can be restored to our former relationship with God.

How can we be sure that God wants this restored relationship? He tells us in Ezekiel 36:22 that it is ultimately for His sake: “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.”

How can we know we are reconciled to God? When we hate our sin; when we hate what God hates and love what God loves. If we have a new heart, we have a new life. David has the nerve to ask for joy in Psalm 51. Where does that joy come from? From a renewed heart with God. “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

Paul speaks to us about our renewed hearts:

• “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
• “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (Romans 6:17).
• “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2).
• “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The point of all these five weeks of devotions about our responsive hearts is to melt our hearts with the love of God for us. My prayer for you is that you will recognize and own your sin, that you will submit to God’s call on your heart and repent, turning to God. The first time you take these steps you are on the pathway. Daily, walk, confess, repenting, stay in God’s Word, and pray. In this way you are renewed and will continue to renew and strengthen your relationship with God, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In this way you will walk with Jesus both now and forevermore.

In Christ,

Judy

“Abba, Father, he cried out, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Mark 14:36).

Have you ever been desperate for something? Are you desperate right now? Perhaps it is for healing for yourself or for a loved one. Perhaps it is for someone you know to receive Christ. Perhaps it is for reconciliation with a loved one, or a new home, or freedom from addiction. I imagine that many of you are desperate for something. I know I am.

We are in the middle of Holy Week. You probably know what this means. Holy Week replaces Passover Week in the Christian calendar. Passover represents a desperate time in Jewish history. The Israelites desperately wanted their freedom from the Egyptians, and God delivered them by sending the angel of death to the firstborn of every home, but the angel of death would pass over all the homes that had the blood of a lamb smeared over the door. (Exodus 11-12)

Jesus was in Jerusalem that week to celebrate the first Passover, and to become the sacrificial lamb himself. As divine, he knew his role. As man, he desperately wanted to avoid the pain and suffering he was sure to incur during his arrest, “trial,” and execution. We know this because of his desperate prayer on the cross “Abba, Father, he cried out, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  To be sure, Jesus did not want the horrific physical pain he was going through, but even more, Jesus desperately wanted to avoid the hell of having God turn His face away from him.

Jesus gave us the Lord’s prayer as a model to follow. And it is a good one for our daily prayers. On the cross, Jesus gave us another model, a prayer for when we are desperate. 

1. Abba, Father, he cried out, everything is possible for you. We acknowledge the sovereignty of God and his perfect character. God is Great. God is Good.

2. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. We pray with all our hearts for what we need.

3. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. We commit ourselves to God whatever His answer.

A biblical example of a woman with a desperate heart is found in 1 Samuel, chapter 1.  Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, and by some measure, she had everything a woman in 1050 BC could have wanted. She had a husband with some standing, he was devout, and he loved her like crazy. But Hannah had to share this man with a rival wife, Peninnah.

Peninnah, the rival wife, had a bunch of children, but Hannah had not been able to have any children. We see from this passage that Peninnah was not gracious about it. “Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her” (1 Samuel 1:6). And in that culture, fertility was a sign of God’s favor. Peninnah probably gloated that she was in God’s favor and Hannah was not. Oh, how desperate was Hannah! Hannah was barren—the Lord had closed her womb. Their annual excursion to Shiloh was a source of grief, increased pain, even cruelty, year after year. Grieving her own lack of children, Hannah had a desperate heart. And note that just because Hannah was sad did not mean that she wasn’t a woman of faith. Nothing in biblical faith makes sad things not sad.

What did Hannah do? She prayed to God. I want you to realize how significant this was in her day. She was a woman in the house of God. A woman was the property of her husband. She probably should have asked Elkanah to go to the priest to pray for her. Yet she prayed directly to God. Why? Because she was so desperate. Total despair is where the Lord’s power can manifest itself. God brings good things out of nothing–out of our need, out of our desperation.

So, Hannah was in the sanctuary. This is where she takes refuge from the harassment of her rival wife and from her pain. And how does she go? In a weeping mess. “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly” (1 Samuel 1:10). Why does she do this? Because her faith is strong! Faith is not the strength of our hearts; it is the collapse of our hearts.

We live in a culture of covering up, not collapsing. The quicker you can cover up, you show you have it going on, right? But remember the prostitute at Jesus’ feet, the blind man by the road, the paralytic man on the roof, Jesus himself at the tomb of Lazarus. There are so many songs of lament in the Psalms, songs born of grief, pain, and tears. Psalm 56:8 tells us You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Our desperation is important to God.

Hannah is confident that she matters to God. It is not that she sees her barrenness and praises God anyway. We see in 1 Samuel 1:11 that she is using the same model for prayer that Jesus used on the cross.

“And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’” She praises the Lord, she begs him for a son, and she commits her child to God.

1. Lord Almighty… She acknowledged the sovereignty of God and his perfect character. God is Great. God is Good.

2. …if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son…  She prayed with all her heart for what she desired.

3. …I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head. She committed her son to God.

This is not the end of the story. Once she prays, she gets up and her face is no longer downcast. She does not know the answer—it is not that the prayer was answered; it is that the prayer was offered. She gave her desperation to God. Her faith is in his character and not in his answer. She knows God is able to do anything, and she knows that he will do the good thing.

We read on to find that her prayers are answered. She has a son, and when he is three years old, she follows through on her commitment to give Samuel back to the Lord. She literally took her three-year-old son to Shiloh to be raised in the temple by the priests for God’s service. This is commitment to his will. She understands that everything she has belongs to the LORD. Hannah prays a model prayer she, she makes good on her commitment to God, and she praises the giver of all good gifts. “Then Hannah prayed and said: ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord….’” (1 Samuel 2:1)

Footnote: Hannah probably never knew that her son played a key role in the Old Testament. Samuel served as a major Old Testament transition figure as the last judge and the first prophet after Moses. God used him as a kingmaker to anoint first King Saul, and then King David, who is the direct ancestor of our Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Just as Hannah probably did not know, we also may never know the long-term impact of our prayers, our commitments, and our obedience.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

In Christ,

Judy

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17).

This Lenten season we have been focusing on the heart, which we define biblically as “the ‘basket’ term for our mind, our will, our emotions, and our conscience.” We are preparing our hearts for celebrating Easter. In the first devotional in this series, on March 2, we meditated on Psalm 103 to learn more about the heart of God. David was a man after God’s own heart, and we would strive to be the same.

We are describing the pathway by which our hearts respond and therefore change from rebellious to renewed during the remainder of these Lenten devotionals.

The first step on the pathway is recognition, which means that we see our sin the way God sees our sin. Only God’s viewpoint is total objective as He is the standard of true righteousness.

The second step on the pathway is responsibility, a broken and contrite heart.

The third step on the pathway is regeneration, a work of the Holy Spirit.

The fourth step is repentance. The definition of repentance is turning away from sin and (re)turning to God.

I never did any military drills, but I was in my high school marching band. I enjoyed marching and it was especially fun to perform an about-face. We would be marching at full speed down the football field, then when our left foot would hit the mark, we would abruptly spin around to begin marching in the opposite direction, without missing a beat. This is how I picture the act of repentance.

When Jesus began his ministry, following his baptism and forty days in the wilderness, his first words were “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”  We have talked about recognizing and owning our sin. Our sin is actual treason against God, a rejection of God. David understood that he committed spiritual adultery before he committed sexual adultery. David did not lose the joy of his salvation because he sinned. He sinned because he had already lost the joy of his salvation.

When we have worldly sorrow for our sin, we run away from God. When we have Godly sorrow for our sin, we go running to him. We are the answer for worldly sorry, but God is the answer for Godly sorrow. God’s love is the cause of repentance; our repentance is never the cause of God’s love. “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4.)

Repentance is a change of mind leading to a change in action. However, our hearts will not naturally take this action. We cannot turn to God unless he has regenerated, or transformed, our hearts. We must cry out to God like David did, taking responsibility for our sin, to experience the life-giving transformation of our hearts that leads us to repentance. Repentant hearts hate sin as much as God does. Repentance does not mean that we will not sin again, but when we stay close to God through prayer and reading the Bible, our hearts stay open to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that it is truly easier to avoid sin. However, when we do sin, we are quickly convicted to recognize, confess, and repent of our sin, returning to Christ.

David, even though he was a man after God’s own heart, was not sinless. Neither are we. So, what do we do when we find ourselves in sin? We do what David did: we repent. We pray for conviction of our sin so that we can repent and change. One of the most soul-searching passages in the Bible is Psalm 51, which David wrote after Nathan confronted him with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.

¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

⁵ Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

As you meditate on this Psalm of David, pray for conviction and repentance, with the confidence that God will have mercy according to His unfailing love.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” (Psalm 51:1-2)

In Christ,

Judy

“Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).

This Lenten season we have been focusing on the heart, which we define biblically as “the ‘basket’ term for our mind, our will, our emotions, and our conscience.” We are describing the pathway by which our hearts respond and therefore change from rebellious to renewed during the remainder of these Lenten devotionals.

The first step on the pathway is recognition, which means that we see our sin the way God sees our sin. Only God’s viewpoint is totally objective as He is the standard of true righteousness.

The second step on the pathway is responsibility, a broken and contrite heart.

The third step on the pathway is regeneration.

What a gift is regeneration! Our knowledge of sin and our remorseful and broken hearts move us toward God, but we are not able to progress along the path to salvation unless God changes our hearts. Only God can transform our hearts. Scriptures provide several passages about the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

• God tells Ezekiel (36:26-27): “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
• Jesus told Nicodemus, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youmust be born again.’” (John 3:5-7).
• And Paul told the Corinthians, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

So, what are we to do? When we recognize our sin and our responsibility for our sin, then we pray like David did when he realized his responsibility for his own sin:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:1-2, 10

Regeneration of our hearts–an act of the Holy Spirit–is essential to our sanctification. And our ongoing examination of our hearts, recognizing our sin for what it is and owning it, is also essential to our sanctification. The Holy Spirit cleanses us and makes us a new creation in Christ, and our response to the work He does in us is to daily confess our sins and walk in obedience to His Word.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

In Christ,

Judy