Psalm 51

Here's my rendition of Psalm 51:

Look on me with a heart of mercy, O God, in line with your great compassion (fondness, mercy, cherished as if "from the womb").  Wipe away my sin and any consequences thereof.  Thoroughly wash me (cleanse me and purify) of all my sin (and my sin nature.) (Take away the consequences as a symbol of my return to purity.)

For I am fully aware of all I have done wrong and my guilt is there staring me in the face.  It was against you and you alone that I have sinned...and I did it right in front of you.

You are right:  when you speak, when you judge, your judgments are based on just causes and pure motives.  I, on the other hand, was guilty from the day I was born, a sinner from the time my mother became pregnant with me.  Despite my bad beginnings, you want desire and take pleasure in the following:

• faithfulness
• truth - in my testimony and in my judgment
• reliability
• truth - portrayed in ethical and religious knowledge.

And you want these things throughout my being, imbedded in who I am.  In those deep, unseen places show me wisdom.  Cleanse me of wickedness and I will be clean.  Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.  Let joy and happiness be my song so my bones can dance with delight.  Erase my guilt from the record.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew my spirit and sense of being so that I am steadfast and stable in who I am with you.  Do not throw me far away from your presence and do not remove your Holy Spirit from me.  Give back to me the deep delight of being saved by you; let your willing Spirit sustain me.

When you do, I promise to teach rebels your ways and help sinners find their way back to you.  My tongue, which once was used to tear down, will be used to sing with deep delight of how right and just you are!

O Lord, pry open my lips that this mouth will sing joyfully of your greatness.  I would surrender every prized possession...but you aren't interested in such sacrifices or burn offerings.  Instead, the sacrifice I offer is my broken spirit, one that honestly regrets the past.  This, you love and accept.

Real Life

 God's purpose was for the nations to seek after him and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him - though he is never far from any one of us.  For in him, we live and move and have our being.  Acts 17:27-28a

It is where I "live and move and have my being" that my core values and purpose are revealed.  It is not whether I have religious learning, but rather whether I can search and seek God in the center of the life and the community where I live.  Finding God provides real life and energy to interact with creation and live meaningfully, having an impact on it all, even on myself.  This God-given life can "move" me internally and externally.

This provides me with transparency because my source and vision can easily be seen and makes me easy to trust.  This transparency, this filtration of ideas, action and life (without dualism), leaves no room for inconsistency.  This is where "core values" emerge.  They are enduring and consistent, augmented with power and placement through the Holy Spirit.

When spoken well and lived consistently, my beliefs are reassuring to the doubtful and questioning.  A consistent set of priorities can emerge for myself - not just "meaning" but also movement towards God for whom I am in contact.  This is where true life lies, enmeshed within an expanding and growing relationship with God within and expanding and growing relationship with others.

You are Enriched

 I (Paul) always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Jesus Christ.  Through him, God has enriched you (your life and community) in every way  - giving you words and words of knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true.  

Now you have every gift* you need as you position yourself and eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from blame when he returns.  God is faithful!  I Corinthians 1: 4-9

Let's expand on this word "gift."  Translators say, "spiritual gift," but even that translation doesn't give credit to this "gift" word.  In Greek, it is charisma.  Strong's definition calls it a "miraculous faculty," including characteristics of deliverance or spiritual endowment.  The expanded definition says it is, first, the result of faith in Jesus Christ, and, second, includes extraordinary powers enabling a person to serve in grace and (divine) power operated by the Holy Spirit.

Wow!  That's a confidence-builder!  That should give us a new strength to live for and serve Christ.  This means we can live out of strength and know that we are gifted with the right words and the knowledge to apply them.  That strength is a humble confidence in the power that the Holy Spirit brings to us to use the talent, knowledge and experience given by God for the causes of the Kingdom.

Notice that "I" am neither the cause nor the beneficiary of that strength.  The Holy Spirit enables me for purposes way outside of myself - the Kingdom of God.  Humble partnering with that Spirit and with others also enabled can complement partnerships so that all our life stories can confirm the life story of Jesus Christ.

I know that God-given strength can be leveraged to overcome my weaknesses in several ways.  That strength can be used to inform and transmute my lesser talents.  It can be used in partnership to learn how others use their given strengths.  It causes me to look on the "other side of the coin" in any area of weakness I hold/live with.  (I have taught that in every strength there is weakness and every weakness there is strength. i.e. strength can either be used for good or for evil.)

Ultimately, I am to always keep in mind the goal:  to equip others for a new life in Christ and to participate in ministry for the build-up of the body of Christ, earmarked for unity.  While I benefit within the community, the benefit ultimately is for God to finally be reunited with all of his creation.