INTEGRITY
Opening Prayer
Lord, keep me mindful of the privilege of worshiping You.
Read PSALM 15
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
We cannot enter God’s presence just any old way. Our hearts and lives must be in tune with God for our worship to be acceptable to him.
Think Further
David may have composed this psalm to celebrate the Ark of the Covenant being brought to Jerusalem. We cannot be sure of this, but the words certainly suit that occasion. They describe the character of the person the Lord welcomes to worship at his tabernacle. Such a person was David himself. In spite of his failings as recorded in Scripture, God calls him “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). What an encouragement that God loves and uses flawed people like David and us to fulfill his purposes!
However, Psalm 15 allows us to make no excuses for our own failures. Its portrayal of the true worshipper’s character can be summed up in one word: integrity—the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change. That quality is greatly missing in today’s world. Dishonorable dealings within the finance industry triggered the 2007–2008 economic crisis. That it should happen “in the world” is bad enough, but frequent moral and financial scandals within the church remind Christians that, for every finger we point at another, three are pointing back at us. And remember, the church is not just its leaders, but all who are part of it! How do we fare individually in the integrity column? How much of Psalm 15 is true of you and me?
Of course, in the new-covenant age, we enter God’s presence by grace through faith in Christ, and not by our works. However, that grace is not cheap! It cost God dearly. Let us not forget: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).
Apply
The world loves it when church leaders fall into scandal. Today, pray for the protection, blessing and holiness of those in positions of Christian leadership over us.
Closing prayer
O God, we enter Your presence not in our own righteousness but in that of Jesus of Nazareth, who has made us worthy to approach and greet You.
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