It Starts Small

We come to a close with Psalms 15. Lets take a quick recap of what we have learned. David has given 4 areas of our lives to take a good hard holy introspection of our hearts with.

Our Actions:

The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart—

Psalm 15:2

Our Words:

who does not slander with his tongue,
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,

Psalm 15:3

Our Attitudes:

who despises the one rejected by the Lord
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his word whatever the cost,

Psalm 15:4

We end the Psalm looking at our actions. Yesterday we worked through how we lend to others and our lending needs to be without conditions, no matter what the cost is to us. Today we finish with making the same agreement James made:

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:27

When we want to worship and be in the presence of God we need do not use our position to exploit others. A righteous person is concerned for all of those in need of justice, especially those who are not positioned to gain for themselves. David says a righteous person can not be bribed about the innocent, meaning this person does not let materialism blind them to the hardships and injustices of others.

Lets ponder today:

Do I have a relationship with others outside my economic sphere? Do I place concern for the innocent and vulnerable within society?
Do I care for the widows and orphans in my place of gathering?

In conclusion, David writes, “the one who does these things will never be shaken.” A person who lives under the general analysis of this Psalm will not be shaken or moved. They will become pillars of the faith and become solid and flourishing.

We all want flourishing lives. From the Christian perspective, it is directly related to God. If our actions towards others, God and ourselves are awash in sin, how can we expect the living waters of the Spirit to flourish us? If our attitudes are misplaced, and we are idolizing the wrong people while demonizing the righteous, how could we ever let peace dominate our lives? If our concern is not for the vulnerable and innocent, is it not clear evidence we have not walked with God, we have only walked with ourselves?

When we receive God’s righteousness, the person who experiences God continues to allow Spirit-led, grace-field examination into their hearts. This allows our actions, words, attitudes, and concerns to be brought into submission to God through the aid and power of the Holy Spirit. When this happens, David says, you will not be moved because you have experienced the living God.

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