Monday Scripture: Psalm 51
A Clean Heart
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Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;.
Wash away all my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my faults and failures,
and my sin is always before me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Do not throw me away 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.
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I'm very comfortable confessing the sins of others to God.
CNN and Fox News are always there to help.
I know what Congress is doing wrong.
I know the President's transgressions.
I know where the protestors have crossed the line.
I know how law enforcement has broken public trust.
I know how they've done too little to stop this pandemic.
I know how the government is trying to do too much to control us.
My own sin is safely tucked away from the headlines.
And I'd far rather talk about the sins of others.
But unresolved guilt and regret are silent killers.
Like Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby,
they stick to my soul and capture me with my own anger and frustration.
The Bible was written for silent sinners carrying a load of guilt,
not alabaster saints shimmering with holiness.
The Church is a hospital for sinners--
not a country club for perfect people.
The Creator of the Universe is still creating.
These days God loves to create clean hearts in the chaos of the human soul.
That word "heart" means the core of your being.
In some places it is translated as "the womb."
It is that place deep in your gut where you know the truth.
Unspoken guilt will eat away at your gut.
It leaves a trail of broken promises, ruined relationships, and heartbreak.
But God can create a space in your heart where you are healed and forgiven.
Confessing the sins of others will not get you any closer to that.
But God wants you to know--
deep in your gut--
that you are forgiven and loved.
Then maybe--just maybe
--we'll find it easier to forgive the sins of others as well.
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Create in me, a clean heart, O Lord
And renew your spirit within me.