Rebuilding the walls

Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with worthy sacrifices and with our whole burnt offerings; and bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar. Psalm 51: 18-19 NLT

Reading these verses reminds me a of churches who are struggling to survive. What kinds of walls have been torn down in those places? How can they go about rebuilding their walls so that God will be pleased with their worship and offerings? Can they do it themselves or do they need to be asking God to do this for them?

What walls have been torn down in your own life? What do you need to rebuild in order to strengthen your relationship with God? What is preventing you? Who do you need to ask to help you in this task? Have you thought about going to God with your request?

God, help us to see where we need help in rebuilding our own walls. May we rebuild in order to strengthen our relationship with you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims

God wants Repentance

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that I may praise you. You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51: 7-17 NLT

The psalmist wants God to wipe away all of their sins so that the psalmist is renewed and restored to God.

In return, the psalmist promises to go to other sinners and teach what it means to be a follower of God. This will in turn cause the other sinners to repent.

So, this isn't just a personal request for forgiveness but a communal request. If one person asks God to turn them around, that person will help others to do the same.

God doesn't want offerings or sacrifices. God wants repentance.

Will you offer yours today?

Unseal my lips, O Lord, that I may praise you. You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims

Teach me to be wise

For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you deserve honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being. Psalm 51: 5-6 NLT

Two things are important in these verses.

The first is that none of us is free from being a sinner. I don't believe in the “conceived in sin” theology as totally true. God created us the way we are and I don't believe he created us as sinners. I think we sin later on. However, I do believe that there is not one among humans who never sinned. Perhaps we sin rather than Sin. But we are not free from sin.

The second is important idea is that we are not doomed forever because of sin. If we are honest with God, that is all God wants. Tell God the truth when you make mistakes, hurt others, do something or don't do something. Never try to sugar coat our behavior to God nor act like it doesn't matter to God. Be honest with God from our heart, our inmost being. Then we shall be wise.

God, teach me to be wise. May I admit my mistakes from my heart. May I be totally honest with you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims  

Have Mercy

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my shameful deeds – they haunt me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgement against me is just. Psalm 51: 1-4 NLT

My freshman high school English teacher once said that she would love to meet the person who, if caught speeding, would freely admit to the police that they had been doing wrong and accept the consequences of their actions without making excuses or bursting into tears.

I have to admit I am not one of those people.

But here God wants us to do this every thing: admit our mistakes and accept the consequences.

God wants us to face up to our sins, our guilt, our shameful deeds and our evil actions. We in turn ask God to blot out our sins and make us guilt free. We admit that we have only sinned against God and accept God's punishment.

Are you ready?

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my shameful deeds – they haunt me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgement against me is just. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims

Giving Thanks to God

“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23 NLT

I have never thought of giving thanks as keeping with God's path. But I have learned that being appreciative of others helps my relationship with them.

Take my marriage, for example. I have recently discovered how wonderful my spouse is. Only took 18 years. But I am not just thinking my spouse is wonderful but noticing all the great things he does around the house. And telling him thanks. When you thank someone you become less picky about the minor things. You begin to notice more and more great things they are doing. This means you will be doing more thanking.

The same thing is happening to me at church. When I tell someone thanks or send them a thank you note, I notice more and more what they and other people are doing around the church. I am less likely to criticize and more likely to be appreciative.

Giving thanks to God works the same way. We begin to notice more and more what God is doing in our

lives. We stray less and less from God's path. We become more aware of God's own plan for salvation.

God, help me to give you thanks as my greatest sacrifice. May our relationship become stronger as I follow your will for my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims

Can you ignore God?

Repent, all of you who ignore me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. Psalm 50: 22 NLT

Can you ignore God?

I know I have done it. Just as I learned to ignore my parents on occasion while a teen/college aged. Sometimes I know what God wants me to do. And I do the opposite or don't pay God any attention.

Now my reasons are varied and some of them are quite legitimate. Sometimes I am scared (lack of trusting God), sometimes I am busy (making my own schedule and not following God's plans), while other times I am not trained/capable/prepared (God will provide a way). Obviously, I am ignoring God while straying from God. Perhaps I know I have strayed in some way and hope by tuning God out that things will work out.

Sometimes they end in disaster. And no one will help me.

But God wants us to repent. That is the focus of this verse. Repent now and stop ignoring God.

God, I repent of my wickedness and give you my full attention. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims

Don't pretend to obey God

But God says to the wicked: “Recite my laws no longer, and don't pretend that you obey me. For you refuse my discipline and treat my laws like trash. When you see a thief, you help him, and you spend your time with adulterers. Your mouths are filled with wickedness, and your tongues are full of lies. You sit around and slander a brother – your own mother's son. While you did all this I was silent, and you thought I didn't care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.” Psalm 50: 16-21 NLT

I was talking recently to another Christian whose son used to go to this terrific optional service for teens and young adults here in town. But she said that she had to prevent him from going because of all the drugs that were being sold and consumed in the parking lot.

The parking lot.

Of the place of worship.

Did the kids not get anything from attending?

But, who am I to judge? Who are you? How many times have we spoken ill of someone else in the church while standing in the parking lot? Gee, how many “meetings” have we attended after the meeting while standing around our cars? And how many good church folks have I found out were having affairs with one another? Not to mention the things teens have done around my own church.

I suppose we think God isn't watching or doesn't' care because we don't usually get reprimanded forthis type of behavior. But God does see. God does know. And God will rebuke us.

Now is the time to take a good look at our own behavior and make sure we are not counted among the wicked.

God, so many times we think of the wicked as those who don't attend church. But your word reminds us that the wicked may appear to be obeying you when they are not really. Help us to monitor our own behavior and convict us when we stray. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims