Christian Living 101

Almost everything comes with a handbook, manual, guide, etc. except life. The Bible is a handbook for life, but it is so big. If only there were a condensed version. Well, there is!

Psalm 101 gives great insight on what the upright do, how they should live:

Psalm 101:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I will sing of lovingkindness and justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.

First and foremost, we should praise God. We should delight in His ways and look for opportunities to tell others of how good He is. We should also worship Him with our entire being, that encompasses a lot more than singing praise and worship songs, but it’s a great place to start and changes so much about our day and our attitude.

Psalm 101:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.

We should listen to and follow the way of righteousness. Our life should be a path of uprightness, sincerity and blamelessness. We should do everything we can to avoid sin, wickedness and worldly ways. We should also walk in integrity, being true to our word, honest and sincere, even in our own houses when no one is watching. God is always watching, and what is in our hearts comes out. We can’t hide it forever. Our hearts should mirror God’s integrity.

Psalm 101:3-4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.

A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.

The upright are not entertained by sin, immorality or worldliness. They do not watch, read or listen to anything that is opposed to God or will hinder their walk. We should hate evil and the ways of evil. Romans 12 says that we should abhor it. It should have no chance to catch hold of us, not even a look. We cannot afford to entertain evil or worldliness. The applies especially to perversity; twisted thinking or jokes. We should not entertain them, let alone participate in them. We should not be acquainted with evil.

Psalm 101:5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.

We need to protect the innocent and stand up against those who speak evil or gossip. The words we speak can so easily destroy others and we should not be a part of such evil. We need to stand up for those who are not present to stand up for themselves, even if it is true. Proverbs says that those who are friends with the arrogant will be caught in their snare. It is contagious. We need to be careful to stay humble and not allow ourselves to be influenced otherwise.

Psalm 101:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.

We should make friends with those who are faithful and blameless, those who walk in uprightness and integrity. They are the ones who will deal truly with us and encourage us to be godly. We become like those we are around the most. Make sure that is someone godly. If we are walking the same path, in the same direction, we will get there faster and enjoy the journey more.

Psalm 101:7 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.

Conversely, we should not be friends with those who lie or deceive others. Not only will they influence us for bad, but we will lose our reputation with others. We should also be careful who we speak well of, and be careful that we do not recommend or promote those who lie and deceive.

Psalm 101:8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.

We need to seek justice and promote it in our homes and our communities. We should not tolerate the wicked, but seek to silence them. we should be zealous for the things and ways of God and seek to promote that in our country, bringing that revival and reformation to our lands. Here David is not talking about taking the law into his own hands, but supporting the law and encouraging those who do wrong to be brought to justice. This is not something he would put off either, but he would do it immediately. Justice is not something about which to be passive. The sooner we act and speak the less harm will be done.

Are you living in uprightness? What areas do you need to work on? What steps do you need to take?