Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 51:15-19
Ps 51:15-19
15 O Lord, open my lips, 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 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Acts 17:29-31
29 “Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
What can I give God? Since he is God and he created all things, it all belongs to him already. What do we have in our feeble state to offer to the God who is over us all? To answer this, we must see what he has offered for us. He has given his Son to live as one of us and then to die for our sin. God has demonstrated his love for us and even though we don’t deserve to be treated kindly, he has offered to us forgiveness so our fellowship with him can be restored.
What can we offer God? James says that God jealously desires the spirit he made to dwell within us. So what we can give God is our hearts and our lives. The first thing he wants is for us to live according to his will. When we obey from a pure heart there is no need for repentance but the fact is that we have sinned (and we do sin) so now he desires a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.
Jesus said Matthew 5:3-6: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
O God, create in me a pure heart to know your will and strength to practice self-control to live it in my life. Convict me when I do wrong so I will truly repent and turn to you with a contrite heart. Give me faith to accept your forgiveness when I repent and to then share the joy of your salvation with others. I thank you God for loving me and allowing me to be your child. Help me make a difference in the part of the world where I live by showing your love and your kindness to others. Use me to lift others up who are struggling. Be with our nation and guide our elections in a way that will make us what you want us to be. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
