Not good enough...

Back to the Psalms now for my daily quiet times.  Thanks to all who stopped by for the Christmas story!

Psalms 51

1 Generous in love — God, give grace!
Huge in mercy — wipe out my bad record.
2 Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
3 I know how bad I've been;
my sins are staring me down. 

16 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
17 I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice.
THE MESSAGE

I remember these feelings and still struggle a bit.  You go to Church and everyone seems so perfect.  Their faces sparkle and they smile.  I have even been accused of being perfect... Nothing could be further from the truth.  We go to Church remembering some of the stuff we said or did last week.  We are happy to be there.  The message helps us find hope again.  We pray and find peace, forgiveness.  In other words, we all need a good scrubbing!  The truth is we sparkle because we just confessed our sins to God and were forgiven.  When I first went to Church I felt like I'd never be good enough.  If I sneezed, I thought everyone would turn around to look at me.  It's pretty scary at first.  In this Psalm you can see what God doesn't want: "going through the motions," "a flawless performance."  None of us are good enough on our own.  "When my pride was shattered..." that's what God wants.  Openness before Him, honesty, true feelings, and admitting we are the creation.  He is God.

1 John 1:9-10
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
NKJV

Eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
NKJV

My favorite, have to remind myself sometimes.  It's not just me.
Rom 3:21
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
NKJV

John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
NKJV