Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
24-25 So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
In the 18th century, Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
This sermon included vivid illustrations of hell and declared only the mercy of God—a God furious about our sin—keeps any of us sinners out of hell.
People who heard that message were so gripped by it that they sat on the edge of their seat; they held the bench in front of them so tightly that their knuckles turned white.
Even before the sermon was finished, people were hanging heads, moaning and crying out, “What shall I do to be saved?”
How to celebrate holidays is always a difficult decision in our household.
To various degrees my wife and I both grew up in a home where God was at the center. In general, both our families, at their core, shared the same values, but their ideological approach to life, and specifically holidays, was quite different.
One of the most significant discrepancies is I was raised in a Jewish home from about the age of 7 with a half hearted belief in Santa Claus – not God nor Jesus. From the of 14, I angrily walked away from anything that hinted at religious. If anyone either floated or preached the notion of God, church, I’d instantly rebel.
In an attempt to keep the holiday focused on the birth of Jesus, my wife’s own parents made it clear there was a big jolly man in a red suit bringing gifts but only in department stores or riding on top of fire trucks looking like her father.
Truth is God gave us centuries ago the only gift we need, in the form of a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin in a manger in Bethlehem of Judea.
And, any other material presents we received are as a result of God’s providence (as stewarded by parents). Conversely, my wife’s family celebrated Santa Claus, the “musical magic of Christmas,” and played St. Nick on Christmas morning.
Neither way to celebrate Christmas is wrong; both can promote the message of the gospel and provide a fun seasonal experience. However, it created a bit of a dilemma when we had reconcile, when deciding how to approach the holiday.
Through much deliberation, we reached a compromise that worked well for our family, allowing children to believe in Santa while also engaging in Scripture daily that focused the prophetic readings pointing toward the birth of Christ.
And, just when we thought we had it down, God blessed us with our grandchild. I share this detail because, while we tried to mitigate the focus of Christmas being on presents, it became increasingly complex when we had a child who cherished gifts by the bushels with a bright culturally commercial holiday tree.
And so, if your family, if like mine, is trying to keep the Christ in Christmas, as well as engage in celebrations with family, church members that involve gifts, let me offer the “solution” that the Lord had laid on my heart a few years ago.
Romans is a book filled with profound theology and an abundance of practical wisdom for living a godly life.
Paul begins his letter to the Christians in the Roman church by calling out the ways that they have allowed the culture to distract them from worshiping God.
Specifically, they were worshiping the created over the Creator.
God hates idolatry to the extent that the first and second commandments focus on the concept that God is the only one deserving of our worship.
He tells us we should have no other God before Him, and we shouldn’t make idols.
“An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything so central and essential to your life that you should lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.”
Paul tells us the early church “exchanged the truth of God for a lie.”
We do the same thing today; the culture tells us that the answer to our problems is one click away. Yet, when once we get that shiny new toy, it’s not long before that emptiness is felt again. The creation can’t give what only the Creator can.
This holiday season, think less about how you celebrate, more about the why.
What is your heart’s posture?
Are you using stuff to fill a void, to mask your emptiness?
Or, are you stewarding God’s blessings over your life well?
As we approach this season, may we be mindful, no matter how we choose to celebrate, we must always place God first.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Psalm 139:23-24 Amplified Bible
23 Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
Take a moment today to pray the Lord to search your heart and give you clarity and guidance on how your family should celebrate the holidays, so that you and the Body of Christ may avoid a trap: worshiping the creation over the Creator.
Many churches today will purposely avoid teaching about the wrath of God and his judgment and punishment for sin. God is too often portrayed as easygoing and excessively tolerant of our offenses. But that is not the God of the Bible.
As in Jonathan Edwards’ day, we too need a reawakening to recover a right understanding of the wrath of God.
Edwards stated that if we are outside of the new life in Christ, a dreadful storm with the soul quaking shaking thunder of God’s wrath hangs over our heads.
Unsaved sinners are holding on by just a thread over the great furnace of hell’s punishment. If we have no interest in praying for a Mediator, we can do nothing to save ourselves. Our only true hope is to believe in the Lord Jesus for salvation.
Romans 10:9-13 Amplified Bible
9 because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer]. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.”
God can rescue us and can turn away evil.
God can spread a lavish banquet even in the presence of our enemies.
God can bring salvation—shadow of light in darkness, comfort in grief, peace in bitterness, healing in brokenness, and strength in weakness, authentic wisdom.
Why should we hope?
Because we have a shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep in order to protect us.
Because we have a Savior who can travel down into the deepest, darkest hell any of us can imagine and come out alive.
Because there isn’t a single valley in the shadow of death that our shepherd cannot walk us through.
Because he claims us as his own and will never let us go.
That is why we can hope.
That is why we are prophets.
We have been given the message of hope and are told to share it.
How will others believe the good news unless they hear it, and how will they hear it unless they are told?
We have our assignment—go and bring the good news of Jesus Christ so that others too can have this hope.
Do you have that hope of Salvation?
Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ as your only Lord and Savior?
In the name of God, the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Praying …..
Psalm 15
A Description of the Godly
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain?
2 The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart— 3 who does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his friend or discredit his neighbor, 4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord[a] but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his word whatever the cost, 5 who does not lend his silver at interest or take a bribe against the innocent— the one who does these things will never be shaken.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
15 God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?
2 “Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.
3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor; despise the despicable.
5 “Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe.
“You’ll never get blacklisted if you live like this.”
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart?
Who are the invited?
Who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Where are the invited who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Where is that Heavenly Angelic chorus singing …?
Psalm 23:6Authorized (King James) Version
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
What is God’s sanctuary?
Probably too many of us think of it only as a church building.
In its widest, richest sense, God’s sanctuary is wherever we experience God.
It is the place where our heart is.
On Sunday a church building becomes a sanctuary as God’s people gather, make up the building blocks of God’s spiritual temple (2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Peter 2:5).
There we are strengthened for another week of work, another week of serving God—out in the sanctuary of God’s vast world.
Psalm 15 reminds us that what pleases God is not rituals but a life that seeks to live God’s way.
When we walk with God on a daily basis, we will do what is right, speak the truth, refuse to slander others, and not harm our neighbors in any way.
What’s more, we won’t be impressed by people who delight in doing wrong or in mocking God, and we will honor those who faithfully serve God.
We will keep our promises, even when it hurts. And we will help the poor and protect the innocent, taking no part in any bribery, fraud, or other corruption.
When we live as the psalmist describes, we experience God’s presence.
This happens not only in church gatherings but also in our everyday activities.
Those who live God’s way are building the foundation of a life which cannot be shaken—regardless of uninvited trials try shifting the ground under our feet!
Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?
“Who shall dwell on your holy hill?”
The question David poses in the first verse is of the utmost importance. It may strike us as a question that’s tied only to worship in ancient Israel, but in truth it takes us to the very doorstep of heaven and asks us, Who will enter these gates?
While the answer is explained in the rest of Psalm 15, the general point is one we find throughout Scripture.
The writer of Hebrews advised his readers to “strive for … the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
The Lord Jesus similarly instructed that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).
Isaiah 2:1-5 Lexham English Bible
The Mountain of Yahweh
2 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 And it shall happen in the future of the days the mountain of the house[a] of Yahweh shall be established; it will be among the highest[b] of the mountains, and it shall be raised from the hills. All of the nations shall travel to him; 3 many peoples shall come. And they shall say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house[c] of the God of Jacob, and may he teach us part of his ways, and let us walk in his paths.” For instruction shall go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations and he shall arbitrate for many peoples. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. A nation shall not lift up a sword against a nation, and they shall not learn war again.
Those who’ll stand on the holy hill of the Lord, enjoy His presence for eternity, then, are those who arrive there by the narrow way, striving after holiness.
The sad truth is that too many assume they will dwell on God’s holy hill because they once said a prayer, walked down an aisle, or are a member of a church.
It is a grave mistake to think that those acts on their own will merit eternal life if they are accompanied with a way of life that gives no evidence of knowing Christ as Lord.
Charles Spurgeon once preached,
“If the man does not live differently from what he did before … his repentance needs to be repented of, and his conversion is a fiction.”[1]
1“What Is It to Win a Soul?,” The Sword and the Trowel (December 1879), p 561.
So, who will ascend the hill of the Lord?
It is the one who “walks blamelessly,”
In a way that cannot be confused with that of an unbeliever, and whose life manifests the reality that God has saved him or her.
It is the one whose talk is not marked by slander but who “speaks truth in his heart.” This is someone who doesn’t merely say what is correct but says what is correct and true, with no gap between what is said and what is lived, is done.
The combination of reading Psalm 15 and looking honestly at ourselves will very likely be discouraging.
Only the Lord Jesus embodies the psalm’s portrayal of holiness to perfection.
John 3:19-21 Amplified Bible
19 This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the [a]darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. 21 But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].”
He deserves to dwell on His Father’s holy hill,
and only because He chose to die for His people’s sins and clothe them with His perfection are we invited to live with Him there.
It is always good and right to let the light of God’s word shine on our hearts and expose, and reveal, against the desires of the darkness what is there, for it will steadily move us towards authentic repentance and to gratitude to our Savior.
And those who know they will stand there because of Him will seek to be like Him. Consider your walk and your words, and pray that you would be ever more conformed to the image of Christ until you dwell with Him on God’s holy hill.
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit …
Praying …
Psalm 14 New King James Version
Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lord? 5 There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh,[a] that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back [b]the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
“I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is the best policy.”
Farewell Address to the People of the United States | Monday, September 19, 1796
“Truth will ultimately prevail where pains is taken to bring it to light.”
Letter to Charles M. Thruston | Sunday, August 10, 1794
“Still I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain (what I consider the most enviable of all titles) the character of an honest man.”
George Washington to Alexander Hamilton | Thursday, August 28, 1788
Every command of Scripture serves not only as an instruction for our lives but also as a reflection of who God is.
The command against adultery is rooted in His faithfulness.
The forbidding of murder flows from the life-giving Lord.
And so it is with the ninth commandment against bearing false witness, which comes from the promise-keeping God of all truth, who does not and cannot lie (Numbers 23:19).
What does the Lord have in view when He instructs us not to bear false witness?
It is surely safe to assume that this commandment concerns any form of speech that is far less than truthful.
There are many ways we fall short.
We do it by outright deceit, when we provide false information or withhold the truth in some way.
We do it when we participate in rumors, spreading gossip about others.
We do it by slandering and flattering others.
We do it when we exaggerate the truth, give false impressions, and are careless with the facts. All of this falls short of the divine standard.
In a Court of Law …
According to Maryland Code, Criminal Law §9-101, a person commits the crime of perjury if they “willfully and falsely” make a statement about a “material fact” after taking an oath or any other affirmation under state law.
What is the penalty for perjury in Maryland?
§1621 specifies that those found guilty of perjury may be imprisoned for up to five years or fined according to the statutory guidelines. These guidelines allow for fines of up to $250,000.
A vital component of fighting against the temptation to lie is to understand why we lie in the first place.
The source of lies is none other than Satan himself, about whom Jesus says, “When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Deceit was his strategy in the Garden of Eden, when he approached Eve with a lying tongue.
Tragically, we are often driven by the same motives as the Evil One when we lie: pride, hatred, and fear. We lie out of pride when we want others to think highly of us. We deceive out of hatred because we want to tear down someone else.
We speak untruth out of a fear of the consequences that we think would result from the raw truth being known. In all of this, we lie because in those moments we love ourselves more than we love God and our neighbors.
The reality is that God hates deception (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Proverbs 6:16-19 Living Bible
16-19 For there are six things the Lord hates—no, seven: haughtiness, lying, murdering, plotting evil, eagerness to do wrong, a false witness, sowing discord among brothers.
In order for us to walk in the truth, we must crucify our pride and be more concerned with what God thinks of us than with what someone else thinks.
We must put away malice and pursue love for others, committing to never speaking slanderously or spreading gossip.
And we must fight an ungodly fear of man, replacing it with the fear of God, who came in flesh, declared Himself to be “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
The Lord Jesus has given His people His Spirit of truth (John 15:26), who empowers us to walk in the truth and put away falsehood.
Only by His power are we increasingly conformed into the image of Christ and ever more reflecting the character of the God who gave the 9th commandment.
Consider now in which situations and in what ways you are most often tempted to bear false witness.
On this first day of Lent consider, pray about how will the immutable truth about Jesus, His saving gospel, His indwelling Spirit motivate you to speak differently from now on—to speak the whole truth, as a follower of the truth?
In the name of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Pray …
Psalm 15 Living Bible
15 Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your tabernacle up on your holy hill?
2 Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly sincere. 3 Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor, 4 speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing it, commends the faithful followers of the Lord, keeps a promise even if it ruins him, 5 does not crush his debtors with high interest rates, and refuses to testify against the innocent despite the bribes offered him—such a man shall stand firm forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
(1) Adonai, who can rest in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain?
2 Those who live a blameless life, who behave uprightly, who speak truth from their hearts 3 and keep their tongues from slander; who never do harm to others or seek to discredit neighbors; 4 who look with scorn on the vile, but honor those who fear Adonai; who hold to an oath, no matter the cost; 5 who refuse usury when they lend money and refuse a bribe to damage the innocent.
Those who do these things never will be moved.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
“Who shall dwell on your holy hill?”
Though these questions were inspired by God, running deep through the very heart and soul of David, asked, spoken and recorded 3000 years ago, were not edited out of the canon centuries later by scholars and scribes, the questions which David poses in the first verse of this psalm are of utmost importance.
They may strike us as questions that are tied only to times of worship in ancient Israel, but as they have survived and inspired for thousands of years, in His own truth they take us to the very doorstep of heaven asking, Who will enter these gates?Who will enter the Tabernacle of the Lord, Who will rest upon His mountain?
While the answer is explained in the rest of Psalm 15, the general point is one we find throughout New Testament Scripture.
Matthew 5:1-12 Complete Jewish Bible
5 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim came to him, 2 and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
3 “How blessed are the poor in spirit! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 “How blessed are those who mourn! for they will be comforted.
5 “How blessed are the meek! for they will inherit the Land![a]
6 “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled. 7 “How blessed are those who show mercy! for they will be shown mercy.
8 “How blessed are the pure in heart! for they will see God.
9 “How blessed are those who make peace! for they will be called sons of God.
10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! 12 Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
Matthew 11:27-30 Complete Jewish Bible
27 “My Father has handed over everything to me. Indeed, no one fully knows the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.[a]30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Mark 2:13-17 English Standard Version
Jesus Calls Levi
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of[a] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat[b] with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
John 17:22-26 Complete Jewish Bible
22 The glory which you have given to me, I have given to them; so that they may be one, just as we are one — 23 I united with them and you with me, so that they may be completely one, and the world thus realize that you sent me, and that you have loved them just as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am; so that they may see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these people have known that you sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will continue to make it known; so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I myself may be united with them.”
In addition, The anonymous writer of Hebrews advised his readers to “strive for … the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
The Lord Jesus similarly instructed that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).
Those who stand on the holy hill of the Lord, enjoy His presence for eternity, then, are those who arrive there by the narrow way, striving after holiness.
Philippians 3:12-21 New American Standard Bible
12 Not that I have already [a]grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that [b]for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, all who are [c]mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well; 16 however, let’s keep [d]living by that same standard to which we have attained.
17 Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their [e]appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things. 20 For our [f]citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with [g]His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
The sad truth is that too many assume they will dwell on God’s holy hill because they once said a prayer, tithed, walked down an aisle, are a member of a church.
It is a grave mistake to think that those acts on their own will merit eternal life if they are accompanied with living a way of life which gives no evidence of our knowing Christ as Lord.
Matthew 6:1-4 Amplified Bible
Giving to the Poor and Prayer
6 “Be [very] careful not to do your [a]good deeds publicly, to be seen by men; otherwise you will have no reward [prepared and awaiting you] with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So whenever you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not blow a trumpet before you [to advertise it], as the hypocrites do [like actors acting out a role] in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored and recognized and praised by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing [give in complete secrecy], 4 so that your charitable acts will be done in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.
Reverend Charles Haddon Spurgeon once preached,
“If the man does not live differently from what he did before … his repentance needs to be repented of, and his conversion is a fiction.”[1]
1“What Is It to Win a Soul?,” The Sword and the Trowel (December 1879), p 561.
So, who will ascend the hill of the Lord?
It is the one who “walks blamelessly,” in a way which cannot be confused with that of an unbeliever, whose life manifests the reality God has saved him or her.
It is the one whose talk is not marked by slander but who “speaks truth in his heart.”
This is someone who doesn’t merely say what is correct but says what is true, with no gap between what is said and what is lived.
The combination of reading Psalm 15 and looking honestly at ourselves will very likely be discouraging.
Only the Lord Jesus embodies the psalm’s portrayal of holiness to perfection; only He deserves to dwell on His Father’s holy hill, and only because He chose to die for His people’s sins and clothe them with His perfection are we invited, here and now, in this precise moment, in these seasons to live with Him there.
But it is good and right to let the light of God’s Word shine on our hearts and expose what is there, for it’ll move us to repentance, to gratitude to our Savior.
And those who know they will stand there because of Him will seek to be like Him. Consider your walk and your words, and pray that you would be ever more conformed to the image of Christ until you dwell with Him on God’s Holy Hill.
Dwelling in God’s Sanctuary
What is God’s sanctuary?
Probably too many of us think of it only as a church building.
In its widest, richest sense, God’s sanctuary is wherever we experience God.
It is the place where our heart is.
On Sunday, on whatever day meets to read, study, pray over God’s Word, a church building becomes a sanctuary as God’s people gather and make up the building blocks of God’s spiritual temple (2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Peter 2:5).
There we are inspired, empowered, refreshed, strengthened for another week of work, another week of serving God—out in the sanctuary of God’s vast world.
Psalm 15 reminds us that what pleases God is not rituals but a life that seeks to live God’s way.
When we walk with God on a daily basis, we will do what is right, speak the truth, refuse to slander others, and not harm our neighbors in any way.
What’s more, we won’t be impressed by people who delight in doing wrong or act immorally, mocking God, and we will honor those who faithfully serve God.
We will keep our promises, even when it hurts. And we will help the poor and protect the innocent, taking no part in bribery, fraud, or other corruption.
When we live as the psalmist describes, we experience God’s presence.
This happens not only in church gatherings but also in our everyday activities.
Those who live God’s way are building a life that cannot be shaken—regardless of the way uninvited trials can try to shake up, shift the ground under our feet!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 Complete Jewish Bible
16 (0) Mikhtam. By David:
(1) Protect me, God, for you are my refuge. 2 I said to Adonai, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good outside of you.” 3 The holy people in the land are the ones who are worthy of honor; all my pleasure is in them.
4 Those who run after another god multiply their sorrows; To such gods I will not offer drink offerings of blood or take their names on my lips.
5 Adonai, my assigned portion, my cup: you safeguard my share. 6 Pleasant places were measured out for me; I am content with my heritage.
7 I bless Adonai, my counselor; at night my inmost being instructs me. 8 I always set Adonai before me; with him at my right hand, I can never be moved; 9 so my heart is glad, my glory rejoices, and my body too rests in safety; 10 for you will not abandon me to Sh’ol, you will not let your faithful one see the Abyss. 11 You make me know the path of life; in your presence is unbounded joy, in your right hand eternal delight.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
As followers of Jesus, we are committed to living by God’s standards, such as integrity—saying what we mean and doing what we say.
Proverbs 21:3 says, “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”
Integrity means being “honest” and “whole and undivided.” First, we have to be honest with ourselves by asking:
Do I say I will do things that don’t get done?
Do I make excuses for not following through?
Do I substitute words when actions are needed?
Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, “Do not be quick with your mouth…”
The Bible doesn’t teach us not to use words, but to use them wisely and back them up with consistent actions.
Jesus says, in Matthew 25:21, the “master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
The master says “well done,” not, “well said.”
If we struggle with integrity, there is hope. Romans 8:1 says. “.. there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Start with the first tiny step of an honest self-assessment.
Then choose to follow Jesus to the next step in integrity, and keep following Him day by day.
Psalm 78:65-72 The Message
65-72 Suddenly the Lord was up on his feet like someone roused from deep sleep, shouting like a drunken warrior. He hit his enemies hard, sent them running, yelping, not daring to look back. He disqualified Joseph as leader, told Ephraim he didn’t have what it takes, And chose the Tribe of Judah instead, Mount Zion, which he loves so much. He built his sanctuary there, resplendent, solid and lasting as the earth itself. Then he chose David, his servant, handpicked him from his work in the sheep pens. One day he was caring for the ewes and their lambs, the next day God had him shepherding Jacob, his people Israel, his prize possession. His good heart made him a good shepherd; he guided the people wisely and well.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
An Integrity Filled Heart
When we are talking about the qualities that are necessary for a Christian heart, integrity is one quality that cannot, and should not, ever be ignored.
The reason is because that’s the exact type of heart which God desires and uses.
72 So David shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; And guided them with his skillful hands.Psalm 78:72 Amplified
It was with such an integrous heart that God commended David.
In Acts 13:22 the Lord’s testimony of David says, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.”
If David had a heart after God’s heart, and if David’s heart was integrous, therefore it can be concluded that integrity is an integral part of God’s own heart, in other words, integrity is one of God’s qualities we should seek after.
This is seen in something Moses said about God’s character.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19 NKJV)
And so, a Christian’s heart needs to be an integrous heart because an integrous heart, a heart filled with integrity is part of God’s own heart, we should desire it with the same fervor, tenacity as God Himself possesses it, desires to share it.
Therefore, I think it’s safe to say that integrity is needed now more than ever.
There are several reasons why.
First, we also live in a society where what was once called good and integrous, is now being called hate-filled and evil, and what was once called hateful and evil is now being called good and true and the most desirable to be possessed by all.
What is evil is being taught, advocated for and celebrated in schools at all levels.
What is good and righteous is declared to be extremist, worthy of a prison cell.
What was once considered backwards, abhorrent is fast becoming acceptable conduct, praise worthy conduct, taught to be an acceptable medical practice.
How radically backwards has become so common place and acceptable in our day to day conversations in such a short span of time is truly mind-boggling.
How bad is this in the eyes and heart of God.
Remember, integrity is a part of God’s own heart.
Well, Isaiah prophesied this, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…” (Isaiah 5:20 NKJV)
But also, our society drowning in lies.
We are living in a world that is living more by the lie than by the truth, and the sad part is that most people shrug shoulders, don’t think it is that big a deal.
But it is a big deal, and the Bible calls it sin.
In fact, it’s such a huge deal to God in how it hurts our relationship with Him and others that He makes it one of His big ten, that is, the Ten Commandments.
This one is the ninth to be exact.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16 NKJV)
But, before we can continue looking at what is an integrity filled heart, I believe it is vitally important we come to know and understand what integrity means.
Understanding What Integrity Means
Psalm 15 Amplified Bible
Description of a Citizen of Zion.
A Psalm of David.
15 O Lord, who may lodge [as a guest] in Your tent? Who may dwell [continually] on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness, And speaks and holds truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In his eyes an evil person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord [and obediently worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder]. He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit]; 5 He does not put out his money at interest [to a fellow Israelite], And does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
Having integrity is adhering to truth and a code of values, and for Christians, it means adhering to the Way and the Truth and the Life found only God’s Word.
Synonyms would include: being honest, a person of high moral character, a person of virtue, who lives their lives in accordance with the morals, ethics and values set forth by God Himself in the Bible, values they say they believe in.
Therefore, integrity is about being honest, fair, and having a strong sense of what is right and wrong.
It’s adhering to the moral and ethical principles set forth in God’s Word, which speaks directly to a person’s private, public character, being, who they truly are.
But it also has a second definition, and that is a person who is undivided and thus unwavering in their belief and trust in God.
Integrity is not so much about what we do as it is about who we are.
It means we privately, publicly live according to what we say and believe in.
It’s about who we are on the inside more than what we portray on the outside.
It’s doing right even when no one else is looking, and who we are, how we each act and behave in the dark more than what we do in the light.
Integrity, therefore, is best defined by how it’s fleshed out in our lives.
• It’s about keeping our word even when it hurts.
• It’s about being honest in all our dealings.
• It’s practicing morality in both our bodies and in our minds.
• It’s about admitting mistakes and doing what’s necessary to make them right.
This is why integrity of heart is something God is searching for in His people.
King David said that it’s only with an integrous heart that we can dwell in God’s presence.
So, if we want to dwell in the presence of God, then we have to have integrity, and thus walk and talk and live our lives by it.
“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.” (Psalm 15:1-2 NKJV)
In fact, God is pleased when we do walk with integrity in our hearts.
Proverbs 11:18-20 Amplified Bible
18 The wicked man earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward [that is both permanent and satisfying]. 19 He who is steadfast in righteousness attains life, But he who pursues evil attains his own death. 20 The perverse in heart are repulsive and shamefully vile to the Lord, But those who are blameless and above reproach in their walk are His delight!
In Proverbs 11:20 the Lord says that while He detests people with crooked and twisted hearts, He does mightily and muchly delights in those with integrity.
Integrity of Job
Job 27:3-6 Amplified Bible
3 As long as my life is within me, And the breath of God is [still] in my nostrils, 4 My lips will not speak unjustly, Nor will my tongue utter deceit. 5 “Far be it from me that I should admit you are right [in your accusations against me]; Until I die, I will not remove my integrity from me. 6 “I hold fast my uprightness and my right standing with God and I will not let them go; My heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
Job was such a man with a heart filled with integrity
Job said, “As long as my breath is in me … my lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit … Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.” (Job 27:3-6 NKJV)
In fact, not only is God pleased with such an integrous heart, but He also brags on it. We actually see God brag on Job when Satan came before God’s throne.
The Lord said,
“Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8 NKJV)
God, therefore, looks for integrity and an integrous heart is what He desires for His leaders.
It was a heart of integrity that distinguished the leadership of King David.
“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” (Psalm 78:72 NIV)
While an integrous heart is manifested in our lives, in other words, people can see it, people can readily and instinctively recognize it, it’s really an inside job.
Integrity is an Inside Job
Matthew 23:25-26 Amplified Bible
25 “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and robbery and self-indulgence (unrestrained greed). 26 You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine and change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.
In speaking about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:25-26 NKJV)
The term “hypocrite” in the Greek language comes from the theater.
In Greek theater one actor would often play more than one part, so they wore masks to cover their face for the different parts.
Hypocrisy therefore means someone is wearing a mask (or masks) to hide his or her true nature; therefore, hypocrisy is in direct opposition to integrity.
Integrity, therefore, begins on the inside, which is probably why Jesus tells us to cleanse the inside.
Psalm 51:5-8 Amplified Bible
5 I was brought forth in [a state of] wickedness; In sin my mother conceived me [and from my beginning I, too, was sinful]. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom. 7 Purify me with [a]hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
When we do, we will then be clean on the outside, or in how we deal with others.
If integrity is an inside job, and seeing how within the human heart, that is, the spiritual side of our hearts, there exists nothing but evil and wickedness bent on deceiving, as the Lord says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,” how can we possibly clean it?
We can’t wash it out with soap and water, but we can confess and repent.
Psalm 51:1-6 The Message
51 1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down.
4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I’ve been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NKJV)
So, a heart of integrity is a heart that is free from hypocrisy and a heart that is honest about it’s true condition before a holy and righteous God.
It’s a heart that does not put on a mask to hide its true identity making people think that it’s someone who is not and something that it’s not, but rather it’s a heart that honestly and openly confesses its faults, shortcomings, and sins, and actively seeks to turn them over to His Father God and far far away from them.
Another aspect of integrity I like to talk about is that what erodes our integrity.
Erosion of Integrity
Genesis 3:8-13 Amplified Bible
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the [a]presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten [fruit] from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree].”
Now the simple answer is sin, but it isn’t the one time sin that does it; rather it is a combination of sins that are not being dealt with, that is, they are not being confessed or repented of, or as some would say, it is all those wee little mistakes we allow without seeking them out, mining them and out making them right.
This then leads us to the second thing about integrity.
Integrity is About the Little Things
Integrity isn’t built nor is it destroyed in one fell swoop, but in little bits and pieces.
In Solomon’s song he says that it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine, and therefore they must be captured (Song of Solomon 2:15).
Rome was never built in a day, and neither was it destroyed in a day.
It was over an extended period, especially in its downfall as it decayed from the inside through moral and ethical perversion.
And it’s this same moral and ethical decay we’re seeing in our own country.
America is no longer the shining beacon to the world, instead it has been decaying little by little, year after year, and the cracks are getting bigger, crumpling the integrous foundation laid by our nations’ founding fathers.
Someone I know bought a nice house in an exclusive neighborhood, but the foundation wasn’t laid correctly, the concrete did not have enough rebar.
And so, the house has cracks not only in its foundation, but also throughout its walls and into the ceiling.
With one really good shake the house could conceivably come down.
Jesus said,
“Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:26-27 NKJV)
Therefore, integrity doesn’t happen overnight, nor is it lost overnight because of one mistake or sin.
Rather, integrity is built over time and lost the same way.
We need to be careful then and not blame our circumstances when these cracks begin to develop.
This leads me to another aspect of having an integrous heart.
If we fail to come to belief in Jesus Christ, then our foundation won’t be built on anything solid, when the storms of life hit and rage all around us, then the risk is that our foundation will crumble, and the houses of our lives will come down.
When we violate God’s word or break one of His commands, when our integrity is compromised, small cracks begin to form in the foundations of our lives, and if left neglected, that is, unconfessed, unrepented for, then the firm foundation and our lives will begin to crumble.
How can we prevent the small cracks from getting bigger?
They must be sealed through the process of confession, forgiveness, and heart felt Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 repentance.
This will restore the foundation and make it as stronger than it ever was.
Jesus said,
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10 NKJV)
If people can’t trust us in the small matters, how can trust us when things get serious, and our help is really needed.
Integrity Is Not Determined by Circumstances
“But the child (Samuel) ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest. Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:11b-12 NKJV)
Even though our upbringing and the circumstances we face in this life affect us, we still have the power to choose either good or evil.
Two people can grow up in the same environment, even in the same household, but turn out completely different.
One may have integrity, while the other may not.
Take for instance the high priest Eli’s two sons and Samuel.
They all grew up in the tabernacle under Eli’s tutelage.
Samuel grew up to be a man of integrity, while Eli’s two sons were corrupt.
If circumstances really could determine our ability to be a person of integrity, Joseph would be the classic example to follow.
Circumstances weren’t kind to Joseph as he was sold by his brothers into slavery, lied about by Potiphar’s wife, and thrown into prison and forgotten by a top official in Pharaoh’s court.
Yet he never allowed the negative circumstances he encountered to dictate his actions, rather he kept his integrity through it all.
Looking at the circumstances that assailed Joseph and his not wavering in keeping his integrity leads me to the last aspect about having integrity.
Integrity is Expensive
Matthew 16:24-26 The Message
24-26 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Joseph’s integrity cost him dearly.
It cost him his freedom, but in the end, God blessed him, raised him up into a position of highest responsibility and saved his family through him as a result.
There is something that I tell everyone I counsel when things don’t go their way and they are tempted to take the easy way out.
I tell them that when we honor God, God will honor us.
Having an integrous heart will lead to problems, relational conflicts, loss of business, and possibly loss of a job – but in the end, it will lead to real benefits.
Benefits and Blessing of Integrity
a. Safety and Security
“He who walks with integrity walks securely.”(Proverbs 10:9 NKJV)
b. Protection
“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me.” (Psalm 25:21 NKJV)
c. Guidance
“The integrity of the upright will guide them.” (Proverbs 11:3 NKJV)
d. Family
“The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.” (Proverbs 20:7 NKJV)
And so, while our integrity will cost us, in the end it will bring real and lasting benefits that money can’t buy.
Now that we’ve determined a heart of integrity, the question becomes “What Does an Integrous Heart Do?”
What Does an Integrous Heart Do?
Speak the Truth
Luke 6:43-45 The Message
Work the Words into Your Life
43-45 “You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.
Jesus said that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Luke 6:45).
And so a heart that is integrous is going to speak the truth.
Jesus said, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37 NIV)
Long explanations are not necessary, a simple yes or no will do the trick.
Our words need to be so reliable that nothing more than a simple statement or word is needed.
Solomon said, “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.” (Proverbs 4:24 NKJV)
A person with an integrous heart won’t be found speaking from both sides of their mouth.
Hypocrisy and lies would not be considered acceptable.
And while speaking the truth will cost, there is a larger cost involved when we tell a lie.
It might cost us our marriage, our relationship with God, our children’s future, as well as friendships, career, and the list goes on.
Paul adds a quality to our need to speak the truth, and that is the quality of love (Ephesians 4:25).
25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself. (The Message)
We are told to speak the truth in love.
The reason is because we have the tendency to launch the truth at people like a guided missile intending to blow away all opposition to our point of view.
In the end we may feel good for speaking the truth, but the other person is laying there with their guts splattered all over the place.
So, an integrous heart speaks the truth through a loving spirit, looking to heal; not hurt.
But besides speaking the truth, an integrous heart also stands for the truth.
Integrity Stands for the Truth
Standing for the truth is taking our speaking the truth to the next level by putting it into action.
“For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” (2 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV)
In our society today there’s a prevalent attitude that whatever someone believes in, that it is affirmed and above board honest truth, whether it’s true or it’s not.
It’s called subjective truth.
It means that whatever is true for one person must automatically be true for all others, whether it is or not.
What this is doing is kicking objective truth to the curb or throwing it out the window.
Today subjective truth is going by the name of political correctness, tolerance, which when bisected and exposed to the light of God, is anything but tolerant.
What is needed are Christians who are willing to stand for the truth and against the wrongs of society.
We are to be people of an integrous heart that not only speaks the truth, but also witnesses to the truth and testifies to it and stand upon the truth of God’s Word.
The Apostle James says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17 NKJV)
Therefore, not speaking the truth and standing for what is wrong is sin.
More Thoughts on Our Desiring an Integrous Heart
Integrity is a vital element to a Christian’s heart and one that needs to be constantly nourished and maintained, because it’s out the abundance of our heart we speak, and it’s our hearts that determine who and what we are, therefore we need to guard our hearts, and the best defense is a heart that is totally sold out for Jesus Christ and is filled with the truth of God’s Word.
I would like to end with what I said at the beginning, because when we finally understand this, having a heart of integrity will be something that we strive for.
And it was about King David.
If David had a heart after God’s heart, and if David’s heart was integrous, therefore it can be concluded integrity is an integral part of God’s own heart.
Therefore, our hearts need to be disciplined, integrous, because an integrous heart, a heart filled with integrity, is part of God’s own heart He readily shares.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Confessing My Lack Of Integrity And Praying To Change
Psalm 51:7-15 The Message
7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I’ll let loose with your praise.
Heavenly Father, Your are good and righteous altogether and I come to You today, confessing that I have not lived my life the way that You would have wanted, nor did I choose the path that You would have wished for me to take.
I confess my lack and come to You in humility of spirit, knowing that in Your loving-kindness, You forgive those that are of a contrite heart. Father, I want to turn my life around and live in a way that is transparent before You. I want to live a godly life that is pleasing to You and a life that brings glory to Your name. Lord, I do not want to grieve or quench the work of the Holy Spirit in my life any more, and know that the only way to please You is to walk in spirit and truth, and to live each day in submission to Your guidance, and empowered by Your grace.
Cleanse my heart of sin, forgive my stupidity and teach me Your ways I pray. Lord, I want to change my behavior to reflect those of the Lord Jesus, I want the thoughts of my mind to be pleasing in Your sight. I want to be a person of integrity, and live a life that is godly and full of grace, and I can only do so as I abide in You and rest in Your love. Teach me Your ways and give me a teachable spirit so that in the days to come I may live godly in Christ Jesus, knowing that this is Your will for my life.
Thank You that You have been faithful to me even when I proved unfaithful, and in Your grace, I step out into the future with my hand in Yours. In Jesus’ name I pray.
21 When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
We are assured that no matter where our Christian walk takes us, God our Father, His Son Jesus and Holy Spirit will be there with us along the way.
Walking with God is sharing our thoughts honestly with the Lord.
That means talking with him on a daily basis.
You may be surprised to discover that of all the people mentioned in the Bible, only three—Enoch, Noah, and Levi— are expressly said to have walked with God. Their stories are found in Genesis chapters 5 and 6 and Malachi 2.
Studying Enoch’s life provides clues to how he lived a lifestyle pleasing to God.
The account of Enoch’s walk with God is told in the book of Genesis.
The writer records that Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah and then that at the age of three hundred and sixty-five years, Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him(Genesis 5:24).
This scripture reveals Enoch began to walk with God after his 65th birthday.
How old are you?
A recent newspaper article stated that today’s average life expectancy of a person living in the United States is about 75 years.
How many years have you left to walk in habitual fellowship with God?
After three hundred years as God’s habitual walking companion on earth, God invited Enoch to continue his walk in heaven.
Enoch, like the later prophet Elijah, went directly to heaven without dying.
Enoch’s goal was to walk in habitual fellowship with God.
Enoch’s goal was to reverently and obediently please God.
Think about this …. how many thousands of years ago was this ….
And how primitive or advanced was their thought process way back when?
To know what [habitual fellowship] was ….
To know what obedience was ….
To know what reverent obedience was ….to ONE God alone and not many gods?
What did it mean in that ancient context to say Enoch walked with the Lord ….
“In Habitual Fellowship” ….
What does that mean?
Above and beyond all others that Enoch and Noah were the ones mentioned?
Can you and I insert that ancient vision into our 2023 contemporary vision?
That is a pretty significant adjustment for us to make – to give Enoch a place in our 2023 pulpits, worship services, prayer meetings and fellowship gatherings.
How would that ancient witness testimony connect with our own witness story?
Would it connect with us at all?
Would it relate to us in anyway?
Would it connect us with God?
Would it strengthen or weaken or do nothing for our personal faith journey?
We know so precious little, if anything, about the actions Enoch demonstrated that God took such an extraordinary notice of – that He took Him Home (verse 24).
It would be so easy to insert our own judgments and interpretations and visions and deeds of all of those remarkable “ancient” “reverent and obedient” actions.
In the New Testament, the Hebrew writer reveals two key actions that enabled Enoch to walk with God.
By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; he was not found because God took him up, for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up, he was pleasing to God. And without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:5,6a).
Enoch was pleasing to God. Enoch did what God wanted him to do. His actions reflected God’s Will for his life.
Enoch was faithful to God. The Bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Enoch, through his faith, pleased God. Enoch is an example of the righteous man that Paul wrote about in Romans 1: 17, But the righteous man shall live by faith.
Many people suffer from the misconception that walking with God is about church attendance, Bible study, praying, and contributing to the needy.
It’s true, people who walk with God engage in these activities.
But, Enoch’s life highlights the genuine basis of walking with God.
From the start, it looks as though Enoch fared more regrettable than the other patriarchs.
He lived on earth for only 365 years, far shorter than the other patriarchs.
Enoch was transferred straightforwardly to heaven without dying.
At that point, however, that would imply that Enoch actually lived longer than any patriarch, for he never saw death.
So, if we think about it, Enoch is the longest living human of all, even though Methuselah lived on earth for 969 years.
But we are not specifically looking at the period or lifespan of Enoch or the other patriarchs.
Genesis 5:22 is quick to break with the example seen up to this point.
To no one’s surprise, we are given the number of years that a man lived subsequent to fathering the child who might prompt Noah and his children.
This time, however, we are enlightened with something regarding a man:
“And Enoch walked with God,” a reality that will be rehashed in the verses that follow.
What Does it Mean to Walk with God?
In the Bible, the articulation “walked with God” alludes to somebody who is respectful and dedicated to the Lord, bringing about God’s approval.
For Enoch’s situation, this was so crucial a point that it is referenced two times: both here and in Genesis 5:24.
This entry is expected to clarify the genealogical record from Adam to Noah, so there are not many different subtleties given.
We truly do not know much in regards to Enoch.
In any case, we truly do realize that God decided to eliminate him from the earth before his earthly passing.
Enoch is the first of the men recorded in this section whose story does not end with the expression “and he died.”
This was an occasion like Elijah’s end of service when God took him “up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:9-12).
Up to Genesis 5:23, 895 years old is the youngest listed age at the point of death for the patriarchs.
No details are given except that God was responsible.
Physical death happened to all of the men listed, with the exception of Enoch.
Genesis 5:24 is one of the most puzzling verses in the Bible.
Considering how completely astounding and strange this occasion is, we may have expected more subtleties.
But every expression of the Bible is centered around a specific reason.
For this situation, the genuine object is to clarify the lineage from Adam to Noah, through Seth.
Most definitely, precisely what befell Enoch is unimportant.
What we can be sure of is that Enoch “walked with God.”
Truth be told, this is such a significant piece of who Enoch was that it is rehashed twice in this chapter.
To live by faith in the Almighty means to make a relationship with God part of your ordinary way of life, to respect God with your decisions in each part of life.
Enoch’s case is strange in all of Scripture, in all of mankind’s set of experiences.
What is the significance here?
Enoch “was not, for God took him?”
Obviously, in light of Enoch’s living by faith in the Almighty, God kept Enoch from passing on.
Rather, God just removed him.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).
This existence of confidence (life of faith), Hebrews tells us, satisfied God in such a way God kept Enoch from passing from this life in an ordinary manner.
So, what was it about Enoch’s walk with God?
Walking in God’s Direction
The way for us to walk is marked.
We are to watch for any obstacles that will present themselves before us, and we are to walk as Christ walked.
Walking “as he walked” or living as Christ did does not mean that we are to us pick 12 devotees, perform extraordinary supernatural miracles, or be crucified.
We cannot duplicate the existence of Christ, since quite a bit of that had to do with his way of life as God’s Son, his walk with God, his exceptional job in dying for all sin, and the social setting of the Roman world during the first century.
To live today as Christ did, we should follow his lessons and illustration of complete submission to God and to the loving service to others (1 John 2:6; 1 Peter 2:21).
Walking at God’s Pace
As we walk, we are to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Savior Jesus Christ.
We are not to try and walk ahead of the Lord nor are we to lag behind him.
Walking requires wearing shoes to help protect our feet from the elements and the terrain that we walk on.
Some are for running, walking, orthopedic issues, or just for style.
Roman soldiers regularly wore sandals (shoes), which permitted them to move rapidly during a fight and gave their feet protection.
Here Paul envisions the shoes as the “preparation of the gospel of peace.”
Shoes made a fighter prepared to fight.
The “gospel of peace” in like manner prepares a Christian for spiritual battles.
Any individual who has strolled around outside without any shoes realizes that a few regions are beyond reach when you are shoeless.
Shoes empower you to go anyplace.
The gospel secures our faith in specific essential, widespread certainties.
Without that, we would be slipping.
One of the world’s most normal issues today is that of stress, which comes in several types.
However, the peace offered through the gospel is the response to the greater part of our day-by-day tension.
We can cast our cares upon him because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Further, interfacing the idea with the “gospel of peace” may likewise recommend the possibility of Christians bringing the gospel into everyday struggles, sharing it anywhere they go (Matthew 28:18-20).
Christians are given the “gospel of peace to be prepared for the fight to come and to help other people confronting spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:15).
Walking in Progress and Intimacy with God
Any parent knows that a child must first learn to crawl, then walk, before they can run.
A child must take simple steps first then successive steps.
Walking in progress with God means to “walk by faith.”
That means Christians are to live, make it a habit, by faith.
Suffering comes and suffering goes.
We are to live with courage and refuse to give up in our walk (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Paul tells us that we that have to accept Christ as Lord and Savior should walk (to live and think by faith) in him (Colossians 2:6).
Works are vital for the Christian life (1 John 3:17-18) but works should be the result of saving faith.
Walking in intimacy is also about honestly sharing our thoughts with the Lord.
That means we are talking with him on a daily basis.
Walking to the Destination Which God Has Prepared
Getting to a specific destination that we want to arrive at means that we must take one step at a time.
We may have to be prepared to get outside of our comfort zone.
We cannot also walk where it is easy to walk.
A smooth flat surface will not always be present for us to take our steps upon.
We are assured that no matter where or when our God starts us on our Christian walk, or why takes us, Christ will be there with us along the way (Hebrews 13:5).
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
15 God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?
2 “Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.
3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor; despise the despicable.
5 “Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe.
“You’ll never get blacklisted if you live like this.”
21 When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Walking with others is often a time of sacred, deeply personal fellowship.
As people traverse a trail or path together, they can talk to one another about their struggles, goals, or worries.
Many people might not even ever think about those steps they take with a friend, but walking with a friend can truly help a relationship grow stronger.
The same is true about our relationship with God.
From the very beginning, He wanted to walk with us, to know us personally, and for us to follow Him all of our days – we were created to walk with God.
When we choose to place our faith in Christ for salvation, we can walk with Him in fellowship.
No longer, do we or must we, live our lives according to the ways of our sinful nature, but we can out the days of our lives by the Spirit.
Biblical Examples of Walking with God
When God created humans, we almost immediately read He walked with them.
Genesis 3:8 describes how Adam and Eve heard the Lord walking in the Garden, they heard Him walking on leaves and branches which prompted them to hide.
They did not want Him to discover they had sinned.
Adam and Eve recognized the sound of God coming towards them, indicating apparently that He regularly walked on earth with them in Eden before the fall.
However, after Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord had hid, God could no longer physically dwell with humankind because of the presence sin.
Later, the Bible describes how other people “walked” with God, although He was not physically dwelling with them as He did in Eden.
Enoch loved the Lord and “walked faithfully” with Him (Genesis 5:24).
Interestingly, Scripture tells us that Enoch did not taste death but was taken up by the Lord (Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5).
Noah, the great-grandson of Enoch, is also described as someone who walked with the Lord(Genesis 6:9).
His close fellowship with God is significant when we remember that the people during Noah’s time were wicked and did not worship the Lord (Genesis 6:5-7).
When God the Son took on human flesh and came to earth to save humankind from their sins, He dwelled among us (John 1:14).
As part of His ministry, Jesus walked everywhere, traveled by foot constantly.
In fellowship, Christ talked to them and taught them as they walked.
For example, after Jesus was resurrected, He walked with two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and taught them (Luke 24:13-35).
In the future, when God establishes the New Heaven and New Earth, He will physically live and walk among humans again.
John describes this truth in Revelation 21:3:
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
The Lord will dwell with and walk with believers for all eternity.
A Relationship with the Lord
Based on the examples of those who walked with the Lord in the Bible, to walk with God means we have a relationship with Him.
Adam and Eve walked with God physically but also had a close relationship with their Creator.
After the Fall of Man, humans lost the privilege of dwelling physically with God.
Also, sin separated them from the Lord (Isaiah 59:2).
Only those who had faith in the Lord, like Enoch and Noah, were able to have a close relationship with God.
The reason Jesus came to earth was so we could receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
When a person trusts in Christ’s death and resurrection for salvation, they receive an everlasting relationship with Him (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Compared to knowing Jesus, everything else seems like trash (Philippians 3:8).
At salvation, we enter a relationship with the Lord.
However, just as people need to spend time with each other and communicate to build a relationship, we also need to spend time with God and talk to Him.
To “walk” with the Lord involves communicating and listening to Him.
Praying to God is essential, but we must also read and study and pray through His Word, which is the way He speaks to us (Hebrews 4:12).
Furthermore, Christians need to discipline themselves to regularly examine their lives to ensure nothing hinders their walk with God. (Psalm 139:23-24)
Sin interferes with a believer’s relationship with God.
If we confess our sins, telling God that we know we did wrong, then He is “faithful and just to forgive” (1 John 1:9, NLT).
Thus, we need to examine ourselves regularly and confess our sins to the Lord.
In addition to confessing sins, believers need to be aware of anything that distracts them from walking with Christ.
Some of these distractions include sinful thoughts, behaviors, and doubt (Matthew 6:14-15, 24; James 1:6-7).
However, good things can also distract us, such as focusing too much on a career, a family, a human relationship, a comfortable home, or a hobby.
In these instances, we need to obey the words of Scripture and die to ourselves, so we can learn better follow the Lord and invest in our relationship with Him (Matthew 16:24).
A Way of Life
A Way of Life
In the Bible, to walk with the Lord involves having a relationship with Him, but it also means living a specific way.
To walk with God means we are living in obedience to His standards instead of our own.
Scripture poignantly, succinctly, tells us to “walk humbly with your God,” which means humbly submitting ourselves to His direction (Micah 6:8).
At salvation, we receive the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who baptizes us (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Titus 3:5).
Holy Spirit enables us to live and walk in the way God desires.
In turn, we must follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our own Christian walk (Galatians 5:16).
As Paul emphasizes in his letter to the Galatians, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, NKJV).
To live in obedience to God, we must have faith.
The Bible tells us that “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV).
Often, when we follow the Lord’s leading, we will not know what lies ahead.
For instance, Abraham had to walk by faith when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, his promised son (Genesis 22:1-2; Hebrews 11:17-19).
For clarity, God did not want or command human sacrifice (see Jeremiah 19:5; 32:35).
He wanted to see if Abraham would trust Him (Genesis 22:12).
Likewise, some of the things that the Lord asks us to do might not make sense at the time, but we can trust Him and step out in faith.
Finally, when individuals walk with God, others will take notice.
The fruit of the Spirit and Christlikeness will characterize their life (Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 2:6).
Those who walk with Jesus will talk about His love and demonstrate that love practically to others.
Instead of seeking their desires or preferences, they will want to obey God’s Word no matter the risk.
This does not mean they are perfect.
All believers will continue to struggle with sin.
However, Christians who are walking (Micah 6:8) with the Lord will enjoy a strong relationship with Him, will seek to live according to His principles, morals and ethics, instead of the sinful standards of the flesh and the world.
What Does This “Walking With God” Mean for My Life?
Walking with God means having a connectional relationship with Him and living, walking, a certain way that follows His standards based on Scripture.
This is important to all people because humans were created by God to love God and ultimately give all the glory, honor and praise and their thanks to God.
However, our sin separates us from Him.
Believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only way to restore this vital relationship.
Once we trust in Christ (John 14:1-14), we can begin walking (Micah 6:8) with Him.
As part of our walk with the Lord, we need to prioritize our relationship with Him by spending quality time in reading, studying His Word and talking to Him.
Also, we need to examine ourselves regularly to see if any sins or other things in our life are hindering or distracting us from spending time with God (Psalm 51).
Finally, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance so that we live and walk in a way that is more consistently pleasing and perpetually honoring the Lord.
“Walking” with our Lord in fellowship and obedience is the best way to live.
More on this tomorrow ….
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 15 The Message
15 God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?
2 “Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.
3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor; despise the despicable.
5 “Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe.
“You’ll never get blacklisted if you live like this.”
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 