Coming Back To God

Ps 51;9-9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. 14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. 16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

 

God doesn’t desire sacrifices when we sin, he wants us to praise him, and let him clean out our dirty heart, let him renew his spirit in us. All we have to do is come back to him with a broken changeable heart! If we refuse to change, we are not really coming back to God at all! The Lesson Of Cain, God Chooses Us  

 

Is 38;15 But what could I say? For he himself sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt. 16 Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! 17 Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins. 15 But what could I say? For he himself sent this sickness. 18 For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to the grave can no longer hope in your faithfulness. 19 Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next. 20 Think of it—the LORD is ready to heal me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the LORD.

 

The Lord’s discipline is good.  It leads to life and health. The anguish that we feel when we are being disciplined is good for us. We often need adversity to get us to change!

 

God’s Discipline Proves His Love

 

Heb 12;1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

 

A Call to Listen to God

14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

 

Recapping:

Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that trips us up, and run with endurance the race God has set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus. He both initiates and perfects our faith.

 

It is not under our control. It is something we have to turn over to the Lord! Easy Belief or True Faith 

 

Remember all the hostility he endured from sinful people so we won’t become weary and give up. We too are called to give up our lives in our struggle against sin.

 

Be encouraged when he corrects us for the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child, remembering after the pain there will be a peaceful harvest of right living.

 

 

So when we fall, God doesn’t desire sacrifices he wants us to praise him, and let him clean out our dirty hearts. When we do this he promises to renew his spirit in us. All we have to do is come back to him with a broken changeable heart.

 

Dear God,

Help us to embrace these truths, to turn from our sins and praise you, to let you clean out our dirty hearts, to let you renew your spirit in us. Help us to come back to you with a broken changeable heart, knowing that your discipline is good and leads to life and health! Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up so we can run the race you set before us. Help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the one who initiates and perfects our faith. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Glenn

 

P.S.

 

I think many Christians today do not approach God with the proper humble attitude. Lukewarm Churches 

 

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

NLT Luke 18;9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee , and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer : ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee , returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

Whenever we come to God we are warned not to have the attitude of the proud Pharisee “with great confidence in our righteousness and scorn for others.” We are still sinners in desperate need of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace. We are to come recognizing that we are still sinners, recognizing the cost that Christ paid to allow us this relationship with God.

Coming back to God letting him restore us Coming back to God letting him restore us Coming back to God letting him restore us Coming back to God letting him restore us Coming back to God letting him restore us