"A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17
This broken heart is not one that has been crushed because of the disappointments of life but because of a deep sense of sin before the Holy God. It is a blessing of grace when one sees his or her sin and is brought humbly before the Lord in confession.
And the blessing doesn't stop there, because there is forgiveness to be found by the sinner who acknowledges his or her sin and there is cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ.

"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14
Paul gloried in the cross not the wood of the cross but what was accomplished there. Christ's work of redemption is the basis of our salvation and the apostle loved that truth and had a burning desire to proclaim it.
Paul was changed by the cross. He quickly learned what an impact it would have when he went from being an admired Pharisee to a persecuted preacher. Though he had despised the gospel of Christ he now desired above everything else to know more of Christ and to serve him faithfully.
What does the cross mean to you? Does the preaching of the cross display wisdom to you? Are you dying to self and selfish interests? Can you say with Paul, I glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Today we look at the second epistle of John. This short epistle is rich with doctrinal and practical truth.
We see first an observation. John is addressing this epistle to a lady whom he observes to be one of the elect and we are reminded that election is a prominent Bible doctrine.
Second, there is a declaration. In the first two verses the word "truth" is used three times. There is absolute truth — God’s Word is truth.
Third, there is salutation. It is one also used frequently by the apostle Paul: "Grace be with you."
Fourth, there is a commendation. John encourages the elect lady by commending her because her children were walking in truth.
And finally we see an exhortation — that we love one another.

"Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved." Psalm 62:1-2
As we look at Psalm 62, there are three things we observe: God's greatness, our weakness, and our duty.
The psalmist describes God as being his rock. This speaks of permanence. He further says God is my defense, my strength, and my refuge -- and also declares that salvation comes from God. This is true whether we are talking about salvation from our troubles or the salvation of our soul — it is all from God.
Men of low degree and men of high degree are both described as being lighter than vanity. In others words, it useless to put your trust in man; you are to trust God alone. And it is for this reason it is our duty to wait before our God with great expectation.

"Our Father Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name." Matthew 6:9
The model prayer begins with God's Name, God's kingdom, and God's will.
Our focus is to be on God. Yes, we have our needs and we are invited to come praying for them to be met; but above all our desire and prayer should be that God's name be exalted.
We see that God is holy and our prayer should be that he be recognized in this exalted position. We are to pray that God will reveal His power and greatness and display Himself through His mighty works in our day.

Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare. The armor to be worn and the weapons to be used are described in Ephesians chapter six. While Israel's enemies in Old Testament times were against pagan nations, even these things were written for our learning and so it is beneficial to examine these experiences from olden times.
In 1 Samuel:4 we read of two battles which Israel lost. Thousands of men were killed and the people were greatly disheartened. It is evident, though, that they had failed to consider God's Word. They were willing to do anything in their attempt to gain victory except what God commanded. In the second battle they were trusting in the ark of God rather than the God of the ark.
But then in chapter seven we see how victories are won. There was a return to the Lord, there was confession of sin, and there was earnest prayer. We invite you to listen to this message in which there is instruction for individuals and for churches in these challenging times.