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Give Me a Clean Heart

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

Several shows on television feature home renovations. In these shows, people take houses that most would consider dumps and transforms them into show homes. The stars of one such show pride themselves on finding the smelliest, dirtiest, grossest homes, and rehabilitating them into homes that attract multiple buyers and fetch high prices. 

Psalm 51 is a chapter in which King David asks the Lord to renovate and rehabilitate his heart. David asks for God’s mercy and erasure of his transgressions. In 2 Samuel 12, David saw Bathsheba, committed adultery with her, and murdered her husband. This led to a whole series of consequences. His friend Nathan checked him and helped him see that his sin was against God. 

David cries out to God in Psalm 51, not just for forgiveness of his actions, but an overhaul of his spirit. You see, David had already transgressed in his heart before he committed his series of sins. In Matthew, Jesus teaches us that “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matt 15:19 

We must be careful to not trick ourselves into asking for God’s forgiveness so we can simply act right and do the right things. That was how the Pharisees lived, that is how self-righteous people live. We need to ask Him to makeover our hearts and fix our very nature so we can BE right. Yes, we want forgiveness of the wrong that we do, but more so we want God to fix our hearts, to change us, so our lives can honor Him.  

Sin starts in the heart, so we cry out, “Lord, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” The Lord, being the ultimate home flipper, takes our dirty hearts, our sinful thoughts, and our raggedy intentions and transforms us into showcases of His glory. 

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