Dwell in the Lord's House! - June 25th, 2011

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



History and Context:

This is another psalm of David, the greatest king in Israel's history. We see throughout the psalms how much of a personal relationship David had with the almighty God. He was by no means perfect, but he had a heart after God and God in turn names him a "man after my own heart". This psalm continues with qualities of a righteous man, a man who dwells with God.

The Text:

Who can dwell with God? Jesus said that if we 'abide in Him and He abides in us' then our "fruit shall remain" (John 15), so this is an important question for us as Christians. How do we abide in God? David answers this question with three requirements:

1) We must walk uprightly.

Our path, where we are going, needs to be in line with where God wants us to be. This is concerning the 'big picture' of our lives. Are we pursuing our calling that God has given us? Are we walking in the direction He wants us to? This is to walk uprightly.

2) We must work righteousness.

This is concerning our day to day actions. Our we taking the opportunities in our daily lives to 'work righteousness'. Our we showing God's love to those around us? Are we helping the poor, healing the sick, and giving hope to the hopeless? This is to work righteousness.

3) We must speak the truth.

What is our mouth saying? The Bible constantly talks about the power of our words. Are we speaking truth or lies? Are we gossiping? Are we dishonest for personal gain? Do we back away from truth and morality because of fear of man? To dwell with God we must learn to speak the truth!

The Challenge:

Again our study has left us with multiple challenges. Which one of these three areas do you need to work on? Start at the beginning, Do you know your calling? Do you know what God has specifically for you? If you don't know then how can you be sure to follow it? Seek God for the overall plan for your life. What are you supposed to be doing right now? Then after you have put your general direction on course with God's plan, start looking at your day to day life. When was the last time you went out of your way to work righteousness in the life of an individual? Do you find yourself gossiping or backing down from the truth? Focus on the area of greatest weakness and strengthen that area.

The Prayer:

Lord, I pray for your guidance in my life. Show me my purpose for being here. Show me how I can reach out to those around me in righteousness. Give me boldness to stand up for truth. I love you Lord and I want to dwell in your presence! In Jesus' name, Amen!