May 26, 2018 Saturday

“Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” (Psalm 51:11-13 NKJV)

            God is holy and we are not and cannot be holy by anything we do.  Our sin is a constant wall between us and God and must be dealt with.

            In the Old Testament sin was forgiven by the sacrificial system which covered the sin of the priests, individuals and the nation.  A prescribed sacrifice of various animals was set by God to pay for their sins and enable them to be God’s people.  These sacrifices were only a temporary relief from sins and had to be repeated.

            In the New Testament the sacrificial system involving animals was fulfilled eternally by the Lamb of God Jesus Christ.  Temporary animal sacrifices were no longer necessary and are even against God’s plan.  Could that be why just a few years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Temple would be destroyed?

            But the sacrifice of Jesus has no affect without a confession of our sin and of our need.  The Psalmist makes a confession of sin and a plea God will not cast him away and take away the Holy Spirit.  The Psalmist recognizes not only desire for but the need for God!

            Through confession and God’s grace of providing for deadly sin by the offering of Jesus our dead blood is replaced by the living blood of Jesus.  God does not see our sin and sinful (full of sin) life but the hole life of Jesus.

            We receive the joy of salvation as God removes the chains of sin and the weight of guilt.  We are freed to live a better and more rewarding life using the life and teaching of Jesus as our guide.  Without the Holy Spirit the Bible is impossible to understand and it is impossible for us live a life of eternal impact.

            With the Holy Spirit God’s plan is revealed and we are empowered to live it out.  We live our life by the example Jesus and share the Gospel of hope through Jesus Christ.  We are given the joy and blessing of being part of God’s plan and seeing lives changed forever!

            Have you confessed not only your sin but also your need for God?  Have you received the sacrificial cleansing for life through Jesus?  Are you living out your salvation by sharing with others the Good News?

            Saturday was a day of rest.  I tried to read but my brain was not very clear.  It is amazing to me that even when my brain is not clear I can still do the devotion.