THE REPENTANT HEART

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me”

Psalm 51:10

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God,

Thou wilt not despise”

Psalm 51:17

REPENTANCE means to “show remorse” or from a biblical perspective it is to “turn away from sin.” 

While many people join church with a repentant heart, I believe there are also many who join church without repentance meaning they walk forward and give their hand to the Pastor and join the institution of the church but fail to turn away from sin or never fully give their hearts to Christ. 

God doesn’t want our religiosity (perhaps I made up that word). 

God wants our obedience and repentant hearts!

Those verses above from Psalm 51 were written by David after he sinned with Bathsheba and against her husband, Uriah (you can read the story in II Samuel 11).  From verse 4 in Psalm 51, you sense David’s humility and remorse for his sin –

“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight:  that thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest”  (Psalm 51:4). 

David understood judgment was coming for the sin that he committed.

I, too, have committed sin throughout my lifetime…perhaps it was my tone of voice when I spoke with the representative on the phone after leaving me on hold for 20 minutes…or perhaps it was the anger I held onto in my heart towards a person who hurt me.  Anger itself isn’t bad, but God tells us to be “angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).  When we allow anger to fester, that is sin because God wants us to forgive (Matthew 6:14 – 15). 

Sometimes, however, we may be tempted to see our sins as “small” (thinking some sins are smaller than others) and never feel a need to seek forgiveness from God. For example, have you ever heard someone say they told a “little white lie?”  God doesn’t see it as “small”…He sees it as sin!

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”  (Proverbs 6:16 – 19)

I was listening to a friend recently who shared that a woman she works with shared several accolades about herself that, on the surface, made her look very pious.  However, my friend went on to say she had observed this woman being mean and unkind to others on several occasions. What do others see when they observe us?

We may think our pious living makes us righteous, but God doesn’t see it that way.  Each of us will have to give an account when we stand before God on Judgment Day!  God will judge all sin…God is keeping a record!  Every word, deed or thought will be judged by God!  I can’t imagine it, but believe it will be the longest, loneliest, and most embarrassing conversations of our lives.

I believe many people will not be prepared when they hear God say, “Depart from me…I knew you not!”  But they will reply, “Lord, but we gave our hand to the Pastor when we were 12 years old” or “Lord, we sang in the choir all of our lives” or “Lord, we preached the gospel for 30 years.”  All of those actions seem right, but God sees what no man can see…our hearts!

It is not enough to be good or to look righteous, God looks at our hearts.  True repentance is like a reset button that is pushed when we come before God to confess our faults before Him…when we humble ourselves before Him, like David did.  Therefore, I humble myself before God, acknowledge my sin, seek His forgiveness (as I forgive others) and ask the Holy Spirit to please clean me up on the inside that I might not sin against thee. 

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

We will never be sinless…that isn’t what God requires.  He does, however, expect us to live righteous and holy lives.  We should ask God not only to forgive our trespasses, but to renew our minds and to clean up our hearts that we might not continue to sin against Him. 

Yes, God forgives, however, He still has requirements.  Let’s not take sin lightly and believe because we gave our hand to the Pastor and joined a church; or because our parents were kind to others throughout the community that it makes us right with God.  Let us accept Jesus as our Savior...get to know God…know His Word and humbly repent of our sins.

LET’S TRULY HAVE A REPENTANT HEART!

SOURCE:  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible -  King James Version, which is Public Domain in the United States