A steadfast spirit

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me 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. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you." (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭51:10-13‬ ‭NIV)

Each day I pray, I ask the Lord to search my heart to see if there is any sinful way in me and to lead me in his perfect will (Ps. 139:23-24). Like David, I want a pure heart before the Lord. It is only he that can give it, and it is only he who can give me a "steadfast spirit"—the ability and desire to keep pressing on. 

For what purpose? To teach others who do not know Jesus and God's grace so that they will turn to him. God's plans are so much greater than what we can see it our limited view. It's like looking through binoculars and only seeing the small area zoomed in. Sometimes God's plans don't seem right. "How could that be the best way Lord?" I sometimes ask... I have a limited view. 

Lastly, the part of the scripture above that glares at me is "restore to me the joy of your salvation..." Have I found joy on his salvation lately? If not, there is something spiritually awry. I should be full of joy knowing that he has saved me "to the uttermost" and there is nothing that can separate me from the love of God through Jesus Christ. When I have joy of my being saved and realize the depth of love extended to me, it should give me a willing spirit. When that happens, the result (overflow) should be telling others about this amazing thing that God, in his unending love, has done for me. What purpose it gives to know these things as truth!

A heart like David

David was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king. He accepted this anointing as God's will but knew it wouldn't come without hardship. At the time David was young and Saul was king. As the story goes Saul persued David for many years to hunt him down and kill him. There was evil stored up in the heart of Saul, unlike David who was "a man after God's own heart." David was always kind to Saul and knew that if Saul had been anointed to be king before him (which he was) then he must honor God's decision to do so and honor Saul as king. This, of course, shaped David's future and that of Saul and his family.

In 2 Samuel 9 we read about David, who is now king over Israel years after Saul was killed, seeking to show kindness to Saul's family "for Jonathan's sake" (2 Samuel 9:1). David could have eliminated Saul's family, but that was not his motive of his heart. Instead he wanted to extend the love he had experienced from his close friend Jonathan (see 2 Samuel 1:26) to Jonathan's family. His mind was not on revenge, instead he wanted to show his gratitude.

What does my heart look like today? Do I seek to bless those who have wronged me or do I want revenge? Does my heart look like David's? 1 Samuel 13:14 declares he was a man after God's own heart. Am I a man after God's heart?

Resurrection... of a blog!

I have seen it many times... someone writes a blog and has the full intention of keeping it up-to-date. Well, then life "happens" and the blog is forgotten for a time or all-together. So I now join the ranks of those bloggers with good intentions...

The reason I am resurrecting this blog are many, but the main reason is I need a place I can journal my thoughts and findings of my journey of faith. I have been a Christian for 20+ years (I was 19 years old when I accepted Jesus as my Lord) and have been encouraged by others who have taken the time to write down what the Lord has done in their lives.

So after many years of absence, here we go again. Whether you call Jesus your Lord or not, I hope this will begin to be an encouragement to whoever reads and helps to stretch your faith in Jesus and/or bring you into a deeper understanding of who He is and who you are IN Him. I pray for your spiritual eyes to be opened. Blessings to you!