Psalm 51 [Trash]

Psalm 51:11

"Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.”

I think one of the biggest reasons for suicide, for depression, for broken hearts, is the sense of worthlessness. Worthlessness kills people. It kills joy and hope and life and contentment.

People see themselves as trash, and as a consequence they treat themselves and those around them like trash too. Because if you’re not worth anything to anyone, who cares what the hell you do?

But what people don’t realise is the worth placed upon them by the simple fact that they were created in the image of the majestic Creator. By his breath in us we live. Therein lies worth.

When we give our lives to Jesus, he doesn’t throw us out with the trash, instead he throws the trash out of us. And in its place he breathes his holiness. In Jesus, we not only live by his breath, but by his holiness too.

There is NO condemnation for those inside Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1]. But there is a whole lot of worth. Meaning. Importance. Significance.  

Jesus believes you are worth it; worth putting his holiness inside of you.

How about you believe it too?

Psalm 51 [Mulligan]

 Psalm 51:10

“God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.”

There’s a thing in social golf called a Mulligan. If you shank a shot badly, and your fellow players are feeling graceful, they will tell you to take a Mulligan. This means that you do not count that shot, and you get to take the ball back to where you hit it from (or if it is completely lost, take out a new ball). You then carry on as if that previous shot did not even happen.

There are times when I’d do anything for a Mulligan in my life; a chance to take back the words I said, and erase my actions and the chaos they caused.

My wonderful God offers that to me.

He offers me a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26*), and a pure spirit; the chance to start over again. He offers me the opportunity to have all my miss hits erased from my scorecard forever. And boy, do I take it! And though I won’t pretend like that stuff didn’t ever happen, I will repent and I will learn from it; learn how not to take the shot, how not to do life.

I will try again, but this time with God’s Creator hand that makes all things new guiding me and pointing me in the right direction. In his direction.

* “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

Psalm 51 [So Caught Up]

Psalm 51:9

“Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health."

I think we sometimes get more caught up on our sin than we should. Don’t get me wrong, sin is the most serious, most deadly thing out there. But when you hand your sin over to God, Jesus’ most serious death covers it and he considers it fully dead and gone. Your account is completely paid off; your slate is entirely clean; your bill of health is totally clear.

So stop dwelling on the bad stuff of the past (Philippians 3:12-14). Stop it! God’s made you new. He’s declared you clean. How about you start living that way?

Stop looking for your blemishes and weaknesses and bad things, and start living in what God says you are: a beautiful and pure daughter or a strong and beloved son of the Most High God. That’s what you are! Why live any differently?

Stop getting so caught up on everything that you've done, and start getting caught up on everything that Jesus has done for you.

Psalm 51 [Party Rock]

Psalm 51:8

“Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing.”

You know that kind of beat that gets your body moving, no matter how tired or lazy you are feeling? You don’t even care what people are thinking. It’s almost as if your body can’t help but move to the vibration of the bass drum.

Tune your life into Jesus; turn him up loud; listen to the beat of his heart for you (Zephaniah 3:17), and everyday you’ll be shuffling! It’ll just be an overflow of the exploding joy inside of you that Jesus brings.

And those things that cause you to limp and hold you back from party rocking? He can take all that junky broken stuff in your life and make you whole again. He’ll heal your broken bones and shattered heart, loosen up your joints and set you free to dance with him forever and always.

Live your life to Jesus’ soundtrack of goodness and grace, and you’ll be dancing for days!

Psalm 51 [Laundry]

Psalm 51:7

“Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.”

Jesus can make you new again. Let him wash the stains out of you. You don’t even need any special, high-priced coupon for the Holy Heavenly Laundrette (Isaiah 55:1). 

Simply bring your filthy, stained rags to Jesus and soak yourself in his Word and in his presence. It may take a little scrubbing and shaking and feeling raw, as Jesus works on those deep stains, but I guarantee that you’ll come out as good as new. In fact, you’ll be even better than before. 

Bring and come.

Psalm 51 [Give & Take]

Psalm 51:4-6

“You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. 

You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.

I've been out of step with you for a long time; in the wrong since before I was born. 

What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.”

When we sin, people get hurt. Relationships are harmed, trust is broken, and someone ends up worse off. However, sin is ultimately against God. All sin is a direct defiance of our Creator and King. He’s the most important one that you need to be right with.

And the scary, yet refreshing truth is that God knows everything (Psalm 139). He has seen your every thought, every message sent, every movie watched, every lie told from the day you were born. Before you speak or act, Jesus knows. When you feel like you don’t even know yourself, Jesus knows. He knows your heart and your motives. Jesus knows! 

But he wants you to be honest with him. So get it all out, give it all over to Jesus. Get all that rubbish out of your heart and mind, and it’ll leave space for Jesus’ new, true life to live in you. Fill every single space in your heart with Jesus. Leave no room for that garbage to come back again!

Give Jesus your sin, and take on his righteousness.

Give Jesus your filth and impurity, and take on his perfect purity.

Give Jesus your death, and live in his new, true life.

Give Jesus everything you are, and become everything he is.

Psalm 51 [Easy Off Bang]

Psalm 51:1-3 MSG

“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. 

Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. 

I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down.”

This is how King David felt after he slept with one of his soldiers’ wives, and then ordered him killed, while that very soldier was out fighting for him and his kingdom. And this, Psalm 51, is what David writes to his God, asking for forgiveness and mercy. David wrote this believing that his God was entirely capable of all David asked him.

Ever felt like this? Felt full of guilt and shame? Felt weighed down by your bad record and dirty laundry? Felt like your sins are literally staring at you through the eyes of the people you’ve hurt? Felt like there’s no hope, no escape?

Well, let me tell you something. David was right.

God can wipe out your bad record:

"I [God], even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25)

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sin no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

God can scrub away and soak out your sins:

“I [God] will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.” (Ezekiel 36:25)

There is hope, there is an escape. It’s all through the life and death of Jesus Christ.

Ask. Believe. And bang, the dirt is gone!

Inquirer

2 Chronicles 20:3

“…Jehosophat resolved to inquire of the Lord.”

In the good old days before Google, if you wanted a person’s phone number, you’d have a look in the phone book, the source of all phone numbers. If you wanted to know the spelling or definition of a word, you’d pull out the dictionary, the book that contains all words. Nowadays we pose all inquiries, requests and questions to Google, the supposed source of all things.

But there is a true Source of all things. His name is Jesus. If you have an inquiry about love, a request regarding life, a question about your future, a problem with your health, or anything else, I urge you to pose it to Jesus. He knows all things, is before all things and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-20).

At every stage of your life say to yourself, “Let me inquire of God here.” He should be your first resort, not your last. He is the answer.

Decide and resolve now to make Jesus your first port of call, your inquirer, your guide.