(50:1) False Sacrifices - God judges people for treating him lightly. First, he speaks to the superficially religious people, who bring their sacrifices but are only going through the motions 

(50:1-15) False Followers - They do not honor God with true praise and thankfulness. Second, he chastises the wicked, hard-hearted people for their evil words and immoral lives

(50:16-22) God's Judgment - He asks the superficially religious for genuine thanksgiving and trust, and he warns evil people to consider their deeds, lest he destroy them in his anger. 50:1-4 This psalm begins as though God is finally ready to judge the evil people on earth. But surprisingly, we read that God's great fury is leveled against his own people (or at least those who claim to be his. God's judgment must first begin with his own people, the ones who cannot claim ignorance as an excuse for sin (1 Peter 4:17). 

(50:5-15) A Penalty for Sin - God's perfect moral nature demands that the penalty for sin be death; however, in the days of the Old Testament, people could offer an animal to God as a substitute for their own lives, symbolizing their faith in him and in his mercy and forgiveness. But the people were offering sacrifices and forgetting their significance. The very act of sacrifice showed that they had once agreed to follow God wholeheartedly. But at this time their hearts were not in it. We may fall into the same pattern when we participate in religious activities, tithe, take Communion, or attend church out of habit or conformity rather than out of heartfelt love and obedience. God wants righteousness, not empty ritual. (See the note on 40:6.) 

(50:14) Honoring God Gratitude brings true honor to God. Begin each day by thanking God for his salvation, all his blessings, his sustenance, the beauty of nature, his love, and his forgiveness. Gratitude opens the door to praver and worship. It also changes your perspective on challenging problems and relationships, allowing you to see them more fully through eyes of love and mercy. 

(50:16-22) Refusing to Obey God - Some people glibly recite God's laws but are filled with deceit and evil. They claim to be his followers but refuse to obey him. This is sin, and God sees it as it is. We, too, are hypocrites when we are not what we claim to be. God sees right through us when we publicly profess faith but harbor sinful desires and practices in our private lives. To become whole again, we must confess and turn from our sin. 

(50:21) God's Silence - At times God seems silent about the evil happening around us. By his silence he is not condoning sin, nor is he indifferent to it. Instead, he is withholding deserved punishment, giving time for people to repent (2 Peter 3:9). God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and wants them to turn from evil (Ezekiel 33:11). But his silence does not last forever--a time of punishment will surely come

Each day, we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Psalms with Chapter 50. In our text today, we see a theme of the contrast between true and false faith. God desires sincere thanks, trust, and praise. In applying, we see that our faith is 100% trust in a God we don't always work in our lives. God often works behind the scenes, and we must trust and obey what the Lord instructs us. Many today have a false faith and only claim to follow the Lord if it benefits them. They are not saved, have not surrendered their lives, and do not know Jesus as Lord. They want to claim the title to gain favor with man. How about you? Do you have faith in Jesus because He is your Lord? Are you a true Christian? Let us learn from our Psalm and text today to remember that there is a true and false faith, the Lord knows, so let us search our hearts to ensure that we are saved and that we have a true faith.