Psalms 15:2-5 (NKJV)

‘He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;…does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised,…he honors those who fear the Lord; He… swears to his own hurt and does not change;…does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent…’

This is a heavy list but there it is, the do’s and don’t. Long and difficult as they may seem, they are the Lord’s requirements and in Jesus, they are very doable. We must just be careful to speak to the truth ‘in our hearts’, saying things the way they really are first of all to ourselves. No superficiality, no coded spirituality, no blame game, no excusing our actions under the guise of ‘salvation by faith and not by works’. We need to daily assess how our walk and work is: are they in righteousness? How do we relate with others? Do we honor and celebrate vileness and evil as against God’s ways and God’s people? These are hard facts that are assessable.

So let us give up hiding. Let’s settle down and daily do a reflection and mental  recollection of our lifestyle and of course, ask the Lord Himself to mirror us and show us by His Spirit, areas we may have failed or we need to work on. And I am sure the Lord who desires that we dwell with Him, will speak and guide and strengthen and enable us to fulfill the list He Himself provided.

‘So Lord, it’s your list. I can’t fulfill it without you. I ask not just for the grace to do right but the grace to speak honestly to myself, and the grace to hear you speaking. If I really will hear you and quietly listen to your voice speaking to me, I believe I will walk through these requirements without a hitch. So Lord, help me hear you and walk with you; that I may dwell with you and walk with you. Amen.’