Psalm 51 (Part 1)

PSALM 51 (Part 1)

1 "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom."

As we look and think about the first several verses of Psalm 51 we notice, along with King David, some important truths about us.

First we can each say, “I desperately need God’s mercy and cleansing” based on verses 1-2. To what did David not appeal? He did not appeal to his goodness, works, or merit. But rather, he asked for God’s mercy and compassion so that he might be forgiven. How do people usually deal with their sin? Some flaunt it—no shame but celebration. Others will try to run away from it or hide it. Sometimes this means self-medication through alcohol and/or drugs. Or it could be getting into an unhealthy relationship. Still others will try to diminish it, saying at least I am not as bad as my neighbor or friend or co-worker.  But this best we is to confess it before God and seek His forgiveness in Jesus. How do you deal with your sin? What did David try at first? He tried to hide his sin but covering it up. This led him into further and greater sin. Then what? God had the prophet Nathan convince David of his sin through law: “You are the man!”

Second, we can also each say, “I know my sin…and it is bad” based on verses 3-6. Against whom did David sin? There is a list: David sinned against Bathsheba, her husband, Uriah, against other soldiers who were killed in battle. David also sinned against God. David confessed that he sinned against God, and God alone. How could he say that? Ultimately and in comparison, all sin is against the infinitely holy, Triune God. In verse 5 we see one of many passages that teaches the doctrine of original sin—that is we each have a sinful nature from the beginning of our life because of the sin we inherited from our first parents. David said, “in sin did my mother conceive me.” We was not teaching the marital act between a husband and wife is sinful, but that we each have a sinful nature from the beginning of our life. The sin that we commit in thought, word, and deep is the fruit of our sinful.

Last, we can also each say, “My only hope is in God’s salvation—the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in my place” based on verses 7-12. We will look more at this next month. But for now we remember that our ongoing struggle with temptation and sin is a continual reminder of our need for salvation and for a Savior—Jesus—our substitute.

Pastor Dave Nelson

Seven Minutes with God

7 Minutes with God

How to Plan a Daily Quiet Time. 

by Robert D. Foster

It was in 1882 on the campus of Cambridge University that the world was first given the slogan: Remember the morning watch.

Students like Hooper and Thornton found their days "loaded" with studies, lectures, games and bull sessions. Enthusiasm and activity were the order of the day. These dedicated men soon discovered a flaw in their spiritual armor—a small crack which if not soon closed, would bring disaster.

They sought an answer and came up with a scheme they called the morning watch, a plan to spend the first minutes of a new day alone with God, praying and reading the Bible. The morning watch sealed the crack. It enshrined a truth so often obscured by the pressure of ceaseless activity that it needs daily rediscovery: To know God, it is necessary to spend consistent time with Him. The idea caught fire. 'A remarkable period of religious blessing' followed, and culminated in the departure of the Cambridge Seven, a band of prominent athletes and men of wealth and education, for missionary service. They gave up everything to go out to China for Christ.

But these men found that getting out of bed in time for the morning watch was as difficult as it was vital. Thornton was determined to turn indolence into discipline. He invented an automatic, foolproof cure for laziness. It was a contraption set up by his bed: The vibration of an alarm clock set fishing tackle in motion, and the sheets, clipped to the line, moved swiftly into the air off the sleeper's body.

Thornton wanted to get up to meet his God! 

The intimacy of communion with Christ must be recaptured in the morning quiet time. Call it what you want-the quiet time, personal devotions, the morning watch, or individual worship-these holy minutes at the start of each day explain the inner secret of Christianity. It's the golden thread that ties every great man of God together—from Moses to David Livingstone, the prophet Amos to Billy Graham—rich and poor, businessmen and military personnel. Every man who ever became somebody for God has this at the core of his priorities: time alone with God!

David says in Psalm 57:7, My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed. A fixed and established heart produces stability in life. Few men in the Christian community have this heart and life. One of the missing links has been a workable plan on how to begin and maintain a morning watch.

I want to suggest that in order to get under way, you start with seven minutes. Perhaps you could call it a daily "Seven Up." Five minutes may be too short, and ten minutes for some is a little too long at first.

Are you willing to take seven minutes every morning? Not five mornings out of seven, not six days out of seven—but seven days out of seven! Ask God to help you: "Lord, I want to meet You the first thing in the morning for at least seven minutes. Tomorrow when the alarm clock goes off at 6:15 a.m., I have an appointment with You." Your prayer might be, Morning by morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation (Psalm 5:3).

How do you spend these seven minutes? After getting out of bed and taking care of your personal needs, you will want to find a quiet place and there with your Bible enjoy the solitude of seven minutes with God.

Invest the first 30 seconds preparing your heart. Thank Him for the good night of sleep and the opportunities of this new day. "Lord, cleanse my heart so You can speak to me through the Scriptures. Open my heart. Fill my heart. Make my mind alert, my soul active, and my heart responsive. Lord, surround me with Your presence during this time. Amen."

Now take four minutes to read the Bible. Your greatest need is to hear some word from God. Allow the Word to strike fire in your heart. Meet the Author!

One of the Gospels is a good place to begin reading. Start with the Book of Mark. Read consecutively, verse after verse, chapter after chapter. Don't race, but avoid stopping to do a Bible study on some word, thought, or theological problem which presents itself. Read for the pure joy of reading and allowing God to speak—perhaps just 20 verses, or maybe a complete chapter. When you have finished Mark, start the Gospel of John. Soon you'll want to go ahead and read the entire New Testament. After God has spoken through His Book, then speak to Him—in prayer. 

You now have two and a half minutes left for fellowship with Him in four areas of prayer that you can remember by the word ACTS.

A - Adoration. This is the purest kind of prayer because it's all for God—there's nothing in it for you. You don't barge into the presence of royalty. You begin with the proper salutation. So worship Him. Tell the Lord that you love Him. Reflect on His greatness, His power, His majesty, and sovereignty!

C - Confession follows. Having seen Him you now want to be sure every sin is cleansed and forsaken. Confession comes from a root word meaning "to agree together with." Apply this to prayer. It means to agree with God. Something happened yesterday you called a slight exaggeration— God calls it a lie! You call it strong language—God calls it swearing. You call it telling the truth about somebody in the church—God calls it gossip. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me? (Psalm 66:18).

T - Thanksgiving. Express your gratitude to God. Think of several specific things to thank Him for: your family, your business, your church and ministry responsibilities—even thank Him for hardships. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thessalonians 5:18).

S - Supplication. This means to "ask for, earnestly and humbly." This is the part of your prayer life where you make your petitions known to Him. Ask for others, then for yourself. Why not include other people around the world, such as missionaries, students studying abroad, friends in distant places, and above all the people of many lands who have yet to hear about Jesus Christ. 

Let's put these seven minutes together: 

1/2 Prayer for guidance (Psalm 143:8) 

4 Reading the Bible (Psalm 119:18) 

2-1/2 Prayer 

* Adoration (1 Chronicles 29:11) 

* Confession (1 John 1:9) 

* Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20) 

* Supplication (Matthew 7:7) 

This is simply a guide. Very soon you will discover that it is impossible to spend only seven minutes with the Lord. An amazing thing happens—seven minutes become 20, and it's not long before you're spending 30 precious minutes with Him. Do not become devoted to the habit, but to the Savior.

Do it not because other men are doing it—not as a spiritless duty every morning, nor merely as an end in itself, but because God has granted the priceless privilege of fellowship with Himself. Covenant with Him now to guard, nourish, and maintain your morning watch of seven minutes. 

©2000 The Navigators All rights reserved.

Ten Commandments Summary

Ten Commandments Summary
1. God’s glory
2. God’s name
3. God's rest
4. Parents (honor)
5. Life
6. Marriage
7. Possessions
8. Truth-telling
9. Contentment (possessions)
10. Contentment (people)