The Heart of the Matter Starts Here.

Good day! We are going to ease into the series, titled “The Heart of the Matter”, today and I would like to do so by giving you a few statements to ponder.

Eternal life is living forever with Christ.

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? – John 11:25-26

Death is separation of two things. Sin separates us from God, spiritual death. Separation of the spirit from the body is physical death.

 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,  nor his ear too dull to hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:1-2

Deep unresolved sin can rob us of eternal life.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

As believers we have to be real with ourselves and with God about the sins we harbor in our hearts. God’s word is final and often times as in our human thinking  capacity we think that His word yields with the times and current culture…it doesn’t. God is absolute. If you aren’t for Him, you are against him. You are hot or cold.

So when it comes to us and the choices we make it is either right or wrong. Again, in our human thinking we often have a but or a because… “I was wrong but they did it to.” “I did this because she did that.” No, we are talking  about our free will self when it comes to our actions and consequences.

Now that you have been prepped, please read and meditate on Psalm 51.

Psalm 51

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba.

¹HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin!

³For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment.

⁵Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful].

⁶Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean [ceremonially]; wash me, and I shall [in reality] be whiter than snow.

⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

⁹Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.

¹¹Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then will I teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You.

¹⁴Deliver me from blood guiltiness and death, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness (Your rightness and Your justice).

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

¹⁶For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering.

¹⁷My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar.

This Psalm is an example of true repentance. There are twelve key points to a repenting  (clean) heart we will be discussing over the next week. Because long blog post (like today) aren’t to my liking the following parts will only include three of the key points and scripture references. I promise I will try to be succinct! Love you, be blessed and meditate on this word because I want some feedback, comments!