Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 13
Wednesday


FRESH

READ:
Psalm 51:8-13
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Restore to me the joy
of Your salvation.
Psalm 51:12
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What do you think of when you hear the word fresh? When the weather is nice, my husband and I enjoy going to the farmers market so we can buy produce that was picked that very morning. To me, fresh means just-harvested fruits and vegetables--not stale or spoiled, but crisp and full of exquisite flavor.

I need that kind of freshness in my relationship with God. I can have too many stale attitudes--impatience, criticism, and selfishness--and not enough "longsuffering, kindness,... gentleness," which are "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22-23).

As David repented of the sin in his life, he prayed, "Create in me a clean heart." Then he petitioned God: "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" (Ps. 51:10-12). Confession and repentance of our sin renews our fellowship with the Lord and allows us to joyoussly begin anew.

What better time than today to ask God to give you a newness of spirit, a freshness of faith, and a renewed appreciation of Him!

Lord, we want the fruit of our lives to always be "fresh and flourishing" (Ps. 92:14). Help us to experience Your love, compassion, and faithfulness that are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:22-23). Amen.
__Cindy Hess Kasper
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```````````````The Master is seeking a harvest```````````````````
``````````````In lives He's redeemed by His blood;````````````````
```````````````He seeks for the fruit of the Spirit,`````````````````
`````````````And works that will glorify God. __Lehman`````````````
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To bear good fruit, clear out the weeds of sin.

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 51:8-13**************

8 Make me hear joy and
gladness, that the bones You
have broken may rejoice,

9 Hide Your face from my
sins, and blot out all my
iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean
heart, O God, and renew a
steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away
from Your presence, and do
not take Your Holy Spirit
from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of
Your salvation, and uphold
me by Your generous Spirit.

13 Then I will teach
transgressors Your ways,
and sinners shall be
converted to You.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Some have called 1 John 1:9 "God's bar of soap for the believer":
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The Greek word for
"confess" is homologeo, literally "to say the same thing as." The
term means to admit a transgression and agree with God's revealed
truth. Ratiosalization, or "explaining away" Scipture, works against
the honest disclosure of a sin to God through prayer. When the
believer complies with God's way of confession, cleanisng is assured.
__HDF