renew

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51: 10-12 NIV)

When I prayed about which Scripture verses to use in this month’s devotional, the song “Create in Me a Clean Heart,” by Keith Green came to my mind.  This song is taken from the words of Psalm 51, written by David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.  In verses 1-9,  David is pleading with God to show him mercy. David admits his sin against God and asks God to blot out his transgressions, wash his iniquities and cleanse him from sin.  God has turned away from David and he longs for the joy of returning to a renewed relationship with God.

In verses 13 – 19 David promises to teach transgressors God’s ways so that sinners would be converted.  If God would forgive him, David would again declare God’s praise. He knew that offering a sacrifice was futile, because God delights in a broken and contrite heart, not in sacrifices offered from an unrepentant heart.

Last month I wrote about positive feedback mechanisms that maintain the body’s homeostasis by keeping a chemical pathway going until the desired end is met.  The two examples of positive feedback loops were hemostasis and giving birth.  This month I am writing about negative feedback loops; negative because they temporarily turn the cycle off.  The cycle is not encouraged to keep going.  This allows the body’s systems to stabilize and return to a healthy set- point.

The first example of a negative feedback system is the regulation of glucose levels in the blood.  Refer to the left middle part of the illustration below.  After eating a meal, the level of glucose in the blood increases. The pancreas secretes the hormone insulin.  Insulin travels through the blood stimulating the cells to uptake glucose to use as energy.  Any excess glucose is carried to the liver where it is converted to glycogen and stored. When glucose levels in the blood decrease below the normal level, the pancreas secretes the hormone glucagon.  Glucagon is carried in the blood to the liver, causing the stored glycogen to break down into glucose. Glucose enters the blood thus returning the glucose level in the blood back to normal.

The second example of negative feedback is regulation of body temperature.  The hypothalamus is the body’s thermostat.  It contains both a heat-promoting center and a heal-loss center. Refer to the left side of the illustration below.  Sensory nerve receptors in the skin send messages to the hypothalamus when the body’s peripheries are cold.  The heat-promoting center of the hypothalamus activates the nervous system to constrict capillaries near the skin surface.  This reduces heat loss and conserves heat. The nervous system shuts off stimulation of sweat glands.  Contraction of erector muscles in hair follicles causes skin hair to stand up, trapping heat.  The nervous system also activates skeletal muscle activity resulting in shivering which generates heat.

When the body’s peripheries are hot (right side of illustration), sensory nerve receptors in the skin send messages to the heat-loss center in the hypothalamus. The heat-loss center activates the nervous system to dilate capillaries near the skin surface resulting in heat loss. The nervous system activates secretion of sweat from the sweat glands.  When sweat evaporates from the skin, heat energy is removed from the skin.

Our bodies are designed with a built-in “checks and balances” system, keeping everything operating at optimum levels. If something is higher / lower or hotter/colder than it should be, there are solutions for that.

          The same is true for our spiritual bodies. There is an absolute intimacy and interdependence among the three persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is what God wants from you and me; he wants our actions to be of His initiative so we glorify Him.¹ Although some spiritual practices may be easier for us when we are alone, the ultimate goal of the Christian life is to love God, love yourself, and love your neighbor. We were not made to do life alone. We need someone or a group of people who know us, love us, encourage us and help us on the path of faith when we stray.

Who are the people who help you regulate the “systems” in your spiritual life? Who serves as your “thermostat”? COVID-19 stripped many of us of fellowship. Isolation became the new normal for many, and it is not healthy.  Perhaps other circumstances have distanced you from the community. Pray for a person you can call and share how you have missed being together.  Ask some women or men if they would meet with you regularly to help you be accountable in your Christian life. David wrote Psalm 51 after receiving advice and admonition from the prophet Nathan. (Read 2 Samuel chapter 12.) Who is your “Nathan the prophet”? Who can play the role of “Nathan the prophet” in your life?           The bottom line is that we cannot live the Christian life alone. Jesus, who often went off alone to pray, still chose 12 disciples to walk alongside Him. When we try to live life on our own, we open ourselves up to pride, self-sufficiency and often misinterpretation of scripture. Walk closely with the Lord, and find others to walk closely with you. We all need some positive “negative” feedback in our lives!!

   Read Psalm 51 and listen to the song be Keith Green, “Create in Me a Clean Heart.”

May God bless you through His words and restore the joy of your salvation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26_VDug4XGU Keith Green: “Create in Me a Clean Heart.”

Illustration 53710908 © Designua | Dreamstime.com blood glucose

ID 60847755 © Legger | Dreamstime.com control of body temperature

¹ Dennis F Kinlaw. This Day with the Master. May 23 intimacy of trinity. 2002 The Francis Asbury Society, Wilmore, Kentucky.