Broken for His Glory

"O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy prise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:15-17

{CONTRITE, a. [L., to break or bruise; to rub or wear. See Trite.] Literally, worn or bruised. Hence, broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent; as a contrite sinner.}

Studying the Old Testament we can see what emphasis God put on burnt offerings. A sweet savour as it is described in Exodus 29:18. However, we find here that compared to the offering of a broken spirit and contrite heart, a burnt offering is nothing to God! A spirit broken by sin, grie

ved by sin, and driven to repentance each and every time, straight into the arms of grace. We sin, even after redemption. We fall short each and every day. However our broken spirit and our contrite heart is what leads us to the Lord, and "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9)

How to cultivate and foster a broken spirit and contrite heart?

When a horse is broken, that means that it has been trained to yield itself to it's master's commands. It doesn't just run off and do as it pleases anymore, it is a faithful and obedient servant to it's master. The Lord is our Master. We need to train ourselves to be full yielded to His will, and attune to His Word and the conviction of the Spirit so that our members may be yielded to His calling. A contrite heart is cultivated through humility and fear of the Lord, yet this is what also makes us much more thankful for His mercy and grace.

We do this by staying in His Word, the Holy Bible. The Word is alive. The Word IS the voice of God. This, coupled with the conviction of the Spirit always in accordance with His Word, is how God speaks to us in this world.

Be diligent.