Psalms 51: Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. 14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. 16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—

last week I was thinking about cain and abel.. and abel's offering was accepted and cain's was not... and cain got mad and killed abel... ridiculous how we get angry with others about things that really have to do with our own issues of the heart... we get upset when things don't go as we believe they should... we are hurt by things people say.. and instead of releasing them to God.. we harbor them.. sometimes knowingly.. sometimes unknowingly.. and our heart gets hardened.. and then our heart is a mess....

surely we still offer sacrifices that are unpleasing to God and He rejects them.. sometimes sacrifices of service or time or whatever it may be.. if our heart is not right with God.. then He doesn't want the sacrifice.. He wants our heart...

when we finally come to the place of repentance.. and realize it is about our own heart issues more than what someone has done... then we can be cleansed and forgiven and made right with God again... and thank God for that!!