Text: Psalm 51:16-17
Take time today to rest in the knowledge of God’s boundless grace and reflect on Scripture below.
You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.
-Psalm 51:16-17
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99 thoughts on "Grace Day"
Hi ladies. You kknow somehow I always remember these comments here, and I think I could’ve spoken a bit differently. Even though it was out of love, I still feel that I was offensive and in my tone the love wasn’t expressed. So, I’m sorry to everyone I offended here. It was just on my mind to do that, and I was thinking about the ladies who were going to convert, I really hope I didn’t offend them too much, cause I know I did a bit.
God loves you. Stay blessed!
Why is it that a lot of the time I work to please God rather than accepting that He loves me. Not because of what I do but because of who He is. Thank You Lord for mercy and grace and most of all for Your matchless, undeserved LOVE!
Why is it that a lot of the time I work to please God rather than accepting that He loves me. Not because of what I do but because of who He is. Thank You Lord for mercy and grace and most if all for Your matchless, undeserved LOVE!
Thank you, Lord, for simply wanting our hearts. Our broken hearts, which you can only make whole.
Amen
Wow God’s endless grace for one sinner like me So thankful!!
Well said, Kelly. Thank you.
I am really struggling with this scripture, I’m not understanding. Help
Jasmine, I’m no Bible scholar but I believe this scripture is telling me that God desires us to be humble, gracious and broken, so that His glory can shine. He is the only one worthy of our praise. When we are humble and give Him the glory, He delights in our attitude and meekness.
Jasmine,
My Bible notes for vs. 17 days, “God wants a broken spirit and a contrite heart. You can never please God by outward actions — no matter how good — if your inward heart attitude is not right. Are you sorry for your sin? Do you genuinely intend to stop? God is pleased by this kind of humility.”
Hope that helps a little bit! It’s a great reminder that Christianity is not about us, what we can do, our good deeds, but is all about Jesus and what He did FOR us when He died on the cross.
Hi Jasmine,
I once read that we don’t clean up our life to come to Jesus. You come to Jesus and He will clean up your life. There’s nothing we can do, no good deed, no sacrifice we have to make, we just come to Him. We come broken, hurt, with a humble heart and let Him restore us. Praying this helps. God bless you!
Hey Jasmine! I also used to struggle with the verse/references to it (like “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” in Matt. 9:13, Hosea 6:6, etc.) but as I’ve studied the Bible as a whole – not just the New Testament, Psalms, and familiar stories – I’ve gained some clarity that I think will help!
In the Old Testament (specifically Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy) God outlines the cost associated with his people’s sins. Kind of like God saying “If you sin in this way, it will cost you this,” over and over again. These were called sacrifices, and they were animals that were killed at the tabernacle or temple.
There’s a lot of purpose behind these sacrifices. One of the big ones is that they foreshadow the way that Jesus made himself a sacrifice on the cross. You’ve probably heard people called Jesus the “sacrificial Lamb” or the “Lamb of God.” This is where we get that! We don’t sacrifice lambs today because Jesus was the Truest and Best Sacrifice. Our “once and for all”! He says this himself on the cross: “It’s finished!”
Another purpose for the sacrifices is that it showed God’s people that their sin had consequences. Imagine the stench of the temple! Animals everywhere! Blood flowing all the time! It was meant to communicate “Hey, your sin is really serious and offensive to God,” and in turn push God’s people to choose God over their sin.
Unfortunately, often the people would adopt the attitude of “Oh, I could totally choose my sin right now, and I’ll just bring a sacrifice to the temple later.” Not what God was intending! They used it as an excuse to sin, not a reason to choose God instead! (Sound familiar? I find that my own life screams “I’ll just ask God for forgiveness later so…”)
What this verse is saying is that God doesn’t ultimately want their sacrifices – He wants them to choose to obey him over choosing to sin. And when they do sin, he wants them to be genuinely sorry – not to brush it off and so casually bring animals to the temple as if that’s what God really wanted all along.
Another way to say this verse would be “If what you wanted was an animal sacrifice or a burnt offering, I would give it. The real point of the sacrifice, what you really want, is for my heart to be broken and remorseful (aka “contrite”) about my sin.”
I’d encourage you to think about what you personally do to try to make up for your sin. God’s people just brought more and more sacrifices, hoping God would accept them again. An modern example might be serving in your church and nervously hoping that it will convince God to accept you. After that, spend some time remembering the enormous cost that came with your sin, and how Jesus paid that once and for all on the cross.
Hope that helps!
Kelly
Awesome Kelly! Thanks for sharing that. I think that’s a great explanation.
I love this explanation!
Obedience is better than sacrifice,. I have been meditating on this truth in God’s word and this passage is another confirmation of this.
Thankful… God speaks the truth and I am answering!
As I’ve been considering what I can sacrifice for lent… Still. THIS confirmed it all. So thankful God hears me.
Amen
Amen. So thankful for unmerited Grace from our Father and Savior!
Beautiful verse…God just wants us to come as we are. Sacrificing ourselves to him….
Amen
This hit me hard today. I am in tears because my heart and spirit are broken. I am devoting time every day this Lent to grow closer to God and try to regain the relationship I once had. I know that my tears do not got unseen and that I am not alone in my journey. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me despite my sins, my temper, my wrongdoings. Thank you for forgiving me when I am weakest and need it most. Thank you for never turning away from me even when I turn away from you.
Praise God!
This hit me hard today. I am in tears because my heart and spirit at broken.and spirit
Ahhhh…. It’s grace day. May we be gracious in our actions and comments, speaking the truth in love and thereby pleasing our Lord. May we humbly listen, ponder, and pray when there are differences. May we not take offense but rather seek common ground and pursue peace. If we do not agree, let us not be disagreeable. Let us offer each other the right hand of fellowship. May it be His face we seek and His Word, His Word alone, upon which we take our stand. Praying for us all, my dear sisters in Christ.
Amen!
Amen.
And all of God’s people said Amen….
God will not despise a broken and humbled heart…a broken heart I have! Humility I am still working on
Amen! I as well…
This really spoke to me! I’m converting to Roman Catholicism after being evangelical for 29 years so this is my first lent. I gave up alcohol (I love a good red wine!) for lent, and this sacrifice has already exposed so much sin in my life that I had been covering up with alcohol. If I complete these 40 days without a drop of alcohol, but I don’t have a repentant heart, will that please him? No, but he “will not despise a broken and humble heart”. Through our sacrifices we can grow closer to him, and already this lenten season has already broken my spirit, humbled me, lead me closer, and forced me to lean on His grace.
I am converting to Catholicism as well after being non denominational for 23 years. This is my first lent as well, and it’s uncovered so much. I truly think the faith is so beautiful and so much deeper than I ever thought growing up. I have to ask you if you got any mixed reviews when telling your family of your conversion? I’ve been in RCIA for over a year now and there are still some members of the family that have no idea, I’m afraid of their judgment. A lot of evangelical Christians look down on Catholics but they are not educating themselves in the religion because if they did, they would see that we believe all of the same things. Happy Saturday :(
I meant to put a smile :) ***
My thoughts exactly on converting! Its so beautiful, rich, and above all true! I had so many misconceptions about the Catholic Church growing up that were all wrong. My family is not happy, and I have lost most of my friends who are evangelical or non-denominational. My husband and I are taking it slow with our families, and we just tell them we are always open to conversations and questions. To be honest, I’m not sure if they actually know we will officially be Catholic come Easter…. anyway I will be praying for you and I ask that you will for me too! It’s a hard road for sure, but when I think about the Real Presence and being in full communion with the Church, it puts everything in perspective :)
It is an interesting topic that brings a lot of different opinions. It interesting that a lot of my friends who were raised Catholic and a lot of adult Catholics end up leaving the church for non denominational churches that offer more freedom. The way I felt was that I always knew Jesus, and I was close to him through memory verses, and reading my bible. And like you said Marriah, I had TONS of opinions about the Catholic Church as well. I find that if you go as an adult, it’s easier to see the beauty in the traditions. I still don’t pray with saints, and sometimes it’s hard to believe that the bread is the actual body of Christ, but other than that, I think the way the church is set up gives me a better understanding of Jesus than I ever had before and I’ve become incredibly close with Him over the past year. It would be silly to say there are no differences, however when it comes down to it, converting never changed my belief system. I still believe what I always have.
Amen! Couldn’t agree with you more! Praying for you sister
Riley and Marriah, I am so happy for you. I grew up Catholic, but have since converted to Methodist with my husband. I still share this time with my children and the importance of this season. Our relationship with our one true Savior is what is most important. The where and religion lesser so. I wish you both all the blessings in the world for pursuing that relationship.
I find this conversation so interesting because I was Catholic for 18 years, and after reading the Bible for the first time on my own (with 3 years of prayer and study) I became Protestant. I still value the rich traditions like Lent and Advent that the Catholic Church taught me, but I had never experienced the free grace of the cross until I left the Catholic Church. It is still very dear to me and all my family/friends in it, but there are some pretty clear teachings I was unable to reconcile with scripture- papal authority, justification by sacraments as grace, veneration of Mary, the Mass, and the literal transubstantiation of bread into the body of Christ, rather than a remembrance symbol. I love my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ, but let’s not do the disservice of saying that there aren’t differences- because I know many Catholics who go through the motions and completely miss the gospel and saving grace of Christ.
There are differences, clearly, or else we wouldn’t have converted. Its funny that you say you left the Catholic Church after being raised Protestant, because being raised Protestant (evangelical) I studied the Bible from an early age, my husband event went to Bible school, and I had so many questions regarding certain verses and why we interpreted them the way we did (one example being John 6). Reading Francis Chan’s Crazy Love also reinforced this in me.
Would you like me to give a defense as to those issues you mentioned? I can if you’re interested, however I do think sometimes it can be fruitless because I read a passage, and you read a passage, and we come to completely different conclusions. Who is right? If the Holy Spirit illuminates us both, why do we disagree on the meaning of passages?
Also, in the end, I would like to point out, that just as many Protestants go through the motions and completely miss the gospel and saving grace of Christ. Believe me, I’ve seen it as I’m sure you have (or will) too
oops meant to say left the Church after reading the Bible
oops meant to say left the Church after reading the Bible
My husband and I love the way the rhythms of the church bring Christ to life and call us to Enter into a deeper understanding of him. We are Anglican Church of North America… Although currently attend Acts29 network church. Love that the liturgical church is being better understood by Protestant Christians.
Hi guys, umm just for the sake of..I don’t know really. I don’t think they are judging you when they try to persuade you to not converting. Many people who’d do are actually quite educated on God’s Word. As much as we say and hope it is so, we don’t believe the same things. The Bible warns us not to worship images, bow down to idols or pray to other gods or even saints . Roman Catholics exults and pray to Mary, worship idols, thus commit spiritual adultery against God, who’s the One who deserves all the honor, glory and praise. They blaspheme against God, when He’s the one who forgives men their sins (1 Tim 2:5). I could go on and on with examples, I won’t though. I’m not being judgemental, but I’m deciding to say something out of love for you my sisters, which I think is the reason your family (mostly) would speak againts it, too. Jesus, the Author of life and our Savior, not Mary or the saints or angels loves you and died for you and Him alone deserves your worship. I love you all. I wish you the best.
I have to speak out and defend the Catholic Church. First, I am aware evangelicals (my family and friends) are educated in God’s word, I am too! They are the ones who instilled the love of Scripture in me! Second, what you stated about the Catholic Church is simply false. We do not worship images, we do not bow down to idols, we do not pray to other Gods, and as far as praying to Saints, we ask them to pray for us – just as you would ask a friend to join you in prayer. I can go further on that if you would like. Mary is a Saint (which I believe you would agree) and yes we give her honor as the Mother of our Lord and Savior, the Ark of the New Covenant, whose “Yes” undid Eve’s “No”. We do not worship her, repeat, we do NOT worship her.
We worship more than Jesus, we worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Clearly you are ignorant of the Catholic faith and have based everything you said on assumptions and lies. If you are curious as to what the Catholic Church believes and teaches, you can look up the Catechism online and Catholic.com is a great resource to answer all of your questions as well.
And in other news, while ya’ll are passively aggressively arguing about who’s church is right and wrong, how about ya open your bibles to 1 Corinthians 12:12-31…this is what God’s got to say about it.
It’s ok to not prefer a certain denomination, He created you uniquely to hear Him in your own unique way.if you don’t like the church someone else goes to, don’t go, simple as that.
I have, respectfully, never been passive aggressive and I have never said a Protestant church is wrong. I have defended my Church when others have attacked and have answered questions others have asked. If the Church is the Bride of Christ, then I will defend her when someone states she is committing adultery on him. I love my Church, I love the Saints, I love Mary, and above all, I love God. Why bringing up the Catholic Church strikes such a negative chord with women on this blog is beyond me. The Church is beautiful, rich with tradition, teaching, history, and God’s grace, love, and mercy.
I even mentioned in an above comment that I believe a debate on here is pointless, since many times we will read the same passages and come to different conclusions. However, love covers a multitude of wrongs, and my prayer is that us, as women of faith, can all come together, support one another, and find common ground i.e. 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
I hardly think defending one’s position is “passively aggressively arguing.” It seems to me that two Catholics were having a conversation when someone jumped in and called them idolaters.
1. We’re all here because we love Christ.
2. We’re all called to love one another in Him.
That said, as one sister in Christ to another, I just want to point out that, Scripturally, Christ is the only Intercessor, Mediator, or Priest we need for salvation, and that Christ said, in reference to prayer with and for one another: “if any two on earth agree”, not “if you and a human soul in heaven agree”.
Why pray to a departed human soul to pray for you when you can ask Christ to do so?
Even better, pray in agreement with whatever Christ is already praying for you.
“Father, I am in wholehearted agreement with Christ’s prayers for me. May all of Your perfect will be done fully in me, for me, and through me. Amen.”
As Christians of all denominations let’s agree to pray
For each other and for a closer relationship with Jesus. As we begin this Lenten journey together let us
Pray for peace and unity and God’s grace for all who see Him/truth diligently.
Amen Rosie, let’s do that. God bless :)
I’m not interested in arguing with anyone here, and or even mincing words to look good. I’m saying what I know is true. As someone already said there is One mediator betwee God and men and to say there’s someone else is to deny Christ His rightful place. It is to create an Ishmael when you already have Isaac promised. Please take it as you will, but God knows my heart. I wasn’t arguing just trying to state the truth out of love, so no one can stand on Judgement Day and plead ignorance. Please let’s read God’s Word and if we do than let’s please believe in what the Word says, you can’t decide what God calls idolatry and what He doesn’t. Only His word teaches us the truth and I believe it wholely, without a doubt. To put someone, something else in Jesus’ place is to idolise and its a sin and blaspheme against God. As far as I know only Jesus is the High Priest and our great intercessor and no one else. And He gave us the right to approach the throne with confidence. No one else died for us or shed their innocent blood or is without sin only Jesus than deserves all that glory. Stay blessed.
So thankful
Beautiful
Thank you, Father for you grace upon amazing grace!!
Grace , Grace, God’s Grace
So thankful for God’s endless grace and pursuit of me despite how many times I mess up
I can humble myself before my Lord. I can choose to bow low in surrender to His sovereignty over all the circumstances of my life. Or I can be humbled and broken by my sin, my failures and my selfishness. Hard humility comes with the getting caught. Sigh. In embarrassment I bend my knee. This offering of yet-again-sin- bowing- me- low is hard to imagine as a sacrifice that pleases Him. Yet, it does. However the humbling comes, He is there with arms extended to lift me up. I picture Him looking me right in the eye and saying, “Ah. There you are. My daughter. My beloved child. Come. Let’s talk.” No condemnation, no rolling of His eyes, no heavy parental sigh. I picture a twinkle in His eye because Jesus knows my pitiful humanness. He loves me still. Ah, the grace that comes with the turning back. The grace that comes with surrender. The grace that comes with humility. It is a powerful thing.
I love that image. <3
The truth, Beautifully expressed.
Well said. I’m completely in this place today. Saddened by mistakes I have made of the flesh. So thankful for God’s gift of mercy and unconditional love.
I see the twinkle also. ❤️
This is one of my favourite psalms. Knowing the background of where David was at when these words were written is so powerful. Here is a man after God’s own heart, who has fallen into sin, after sin, after sin, coming to the full realization of the gravity of his actions. He is cut to the heart and broken, and while that feels terrible, it’s a place we must all come in order to see true repentance and our hearts changed. I pray that I will be as convicted as David and as broken hearted about my own sin. I pray that God would pick me up out of my sinful mess, dust me off, and put me again on that beautiful, challenging, narrow path that he calls his followers to walk.
Grace to you lovely ladies on this Grace day!
It’s wonderful to know you’re not the only one messing up daily. God’s grace is so amazing that he keeps forgiving us and, wants us to change. But he also gives us you all to go through it with. I am so thankful for all of your comments and amazing teaching.
I am broken without You Lord. I was lost at sea but you carried me safely to shore. You were the payment of my debt. There will never be a day you are not faithful to the ones you choose.
Help me remember, Lord.
Here’s a song I’ve been listening to that describes how God never will fail us, despite the mistakes we’ve made:
Pieces by Amanda Cook (from Bethel Music) https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLYqcx3fKsSFJIlnUjd5Jq62M_DrWZ8eqN&v=P0FW–zidYA
Thank you thank you Sarah for the link to that amazing song. I needed to be reminded that even though human love has been so broken in my life God does not give His love to me in pieces!
God doesn’t want more religion. We could go to church every day of the week for the rest of our lives and it wouldn’t remove the stain of even one sin. God wants a broken heart, a heart that feels the full weight of what my sin has done. One of my favorite prayers from “The Valley of Vision” says, “I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for thou dost always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, Father, forgive me, and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.”
O God of grace, I pray for a broken and humbled heart. Thank-you that I have been covered in the blood of Jesus.
Have a blessed weekend.
Lovely, Kathy. Thank you for sharing.
It was rather humbling realizing how much pain we’re meant to endure in our lives here. That heartbreak, that hurt, is an opportunity for growth; experiences meant to shape us in His name for His purpose. One of my weaknesses is giving up or feeling powerless in troublesome times. “The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.” This has shaken me awake this morning. I’m praying for all of us, in hopes we can realize our meaning in the wake of our tumultuous times (past, present, *and* future.)
God is so amazing! He know what each of us needs to hear and He speaks to us through his word. Here is what I felt his spirit telling me this morning.
God in his mercy and grace is faithful and just to forgive. Why?
First of all, God is love. For God so loved the world that he GAVE……
Through the blood of Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Today’s scripture is about the heart. A broken and humbled heart.
One definition of humble according to the dictionary is meek. One definition of meek is submissive. WOW!
It is when our heart is broken (for whatever the reason, be it pain, loss, remorse for our sins or maybe a concern we have) that we most realize our need for God, thereby our spirit is humbled and we reach out for God. In other words, we submit our requests to him or we submit to and receive his mercy and grace. His perfect love.
Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 says… Wherever your treasure is, there the heart will be also.
What is the symbol for love? The heart.
When we make God our treasure, he knows he has our heart (love). After all, all he ever wanted was our heart!
What a perfect Valentine’s Day present!
Wow that’s so beautiful! God wants our hearts full of love for him.
Beautifully written! <3
In trying to make this passage applicable to our lives today, I took it to mean that God doesn’t want our church going or singing or teaching Sunday school or youth or whatever we do that is “Christian” as the only part of our relationship with him. While all good things (as were the sacrifices in the Bible too), on their own they are quite useless. That is why a humble and contrite heart is needed and desired by God. This is a good reminder that we are saved by God’s grace and not our earning it through “Christian” activities.
Love this, thank you!
Love this
An interesting thought I came across in my study Bible about this Scripture….David was not rejecting the Old Testament sacrificial system. The law did not prescribe sacrifices for murder and adultery, sins which David committed. For these sins, the sinner could only cast himself on the mercy of God. The Lord accepts and forgives those who humbly and honestly recognize and repent of their sin and recognize their dependence on His grace.
Fascinating Verna!
This makes the reading even more beautiful. Thank you for your thoughts!
That is fascinating! Thank you for sharing!
Yet, without God’s help, I cannot have s contrite or humble heart. Lord, please help me.
God is love and mercy… No matter how big our sins are, he would forgive us. Definitely!
Submerging in the grace of our Lord and feeling his mercy rest over me. Nothing can compare. We are forgiven by grace
If it is one thing the Lord hates more than anything is a lack of humility. I feel the Lord has been showing this to me. The Lord will not delight in my sacrifices no matter how big, if my heart is not humble. Forgive me Lord for not having a humble Spirit. Show me each day when I fail to be humble.
Had some time yesterday of struggle against the humility that following Christ requires. It was painful to die to myself, but God calls us to a full life, a free life. Yes, letting go of self and sin can feel hard in the moment, but He sees us and desires our best.
Thank you Missy! May my heart be open to the tender rod of my Lord.
So in reading this, I kept thinking… “I´m supposed to walk around moping all the time? That doesn´t sound like the God of Scripture who, yes, requires repentance, but also says there will be joy in the morning…”. So I looked at Matthew Henry´s commentary on Psalm 51:16-17. I´m going to quote a bunch of it, but I hope it´s helpful. Words like “undone, pliable, patient, subdued” that help me wrap my mind around this better.
“It is a work wrought upon the heart; that is it that God looks at, and requires, in all religious exercises, particularly in the exercises of repentance. It is a sharp work wrought there, no less than the breaking of the heart; not in despair (as we say, when a man is undone, His heart is broken), but in necessary humiliation and sorrow for sin. It is a heart breaking with itself, and breaking from its sin; it is a heart pliable to the word of God, and patient under the rod of God, a heart subdued and brought into obedience…” -Matthew Henry
This was really powerful and encouraging, thank you for sharing!
This was exactly the word I needed today. Thank you for sharing Matthew Henry commentary.
I love Matthew Henry’s commentaries on scripture. Thanks for sharing this!
My takeaway from this verse is that God so much more desires intimacy with us than a pile of stuff (sacrifices) left on an altar. He wants our hearts, not just our things. Hope that’s encouraging to some of you as well!
Thanks for sharing !!❤️
I can’t stop reading this- thanks for sharing!
This helped me to understand. Thank you
Overwhelmed today by Gods grace and forgiveness!
He already knows our hearts. Our mistakes worries and sins were cancelled at the cross. Thank You Jesus for Your perfect sacrifice!! He goes before us and asks only that we be still. Be still and God will fight for you (Exodus 14). Soaking it all in, humbling myself and coming before Him with a broken spirit and contrite heart. During this Lenten season. Trust His mercies are new each morning!!
Amen! Beautifully written, Nicole.
There is nothing we can do but accept Gods forgiveness and grace. There are no more sacrifices, for Jesus’ was enough!!! Aleluya!!
Oops, to continue … I am grateful for all the mistakes and sins God allows us to read in the bible … Instead of presenting all the bible heroes as perfect we read of their failings and are encouraged that we are loved despite our sins and God in His great mercy will forgive us too … Just like David who I think wrote psalm 51 following his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of bathshebas husband.. Here we have a psalm that points us to forgiveness and restoration …
I am grateful for all the mistakes and sins GO