King David had regrets due to his sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah the Hittite to cover it up. His repentance brought him to Psalm fifty-one, which we sing part of each Sunday: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit." This is a prayer for purity - a purity that only God Himself can create in us. Romans chapter three states that all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. We sing Psalm fifty-one each week, as we Christians are repentant and pray for this purity and clean heart which God gives to us only by His grace through Christ.

Later in Psalm fifty-one, David realized that he could not offer a sacrifice to atone for his sins. We cannot, either. By God's grace, His Son Jesus Christ is the one and only sacrifice of atonement for the world's sins. It is through Christ alone that God creates a clean heart in us, and we then experience the joy of salvation through this free gift. The third chapter of Titus says it quite well: "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." God has given us a New Year and renewal through Christ, and we then have the joy of His salvation!

"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children's children - with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Praise the LORD, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the LORD, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will. Praise the LORD, all His works everywhere in His dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul." - Psalm 103