05
The Guest List
Jeff WeinkaufPsalm 15
1 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.”
I like formulas. I like process.The do's and don'ts, slot A, tab B. Tell me how it's supposed to be done so that I can be successful.
Psalm 15 is clear that way, and I like that. How do we please God? Walk straight, act right and tell the truth! Do what's right, and then treat others with care and kindness. I especially liked the direction to not blame. We work hard sometimes to push the blame for wrong onto others. To take the heat off of ourselves. God says don't do it - don't blame shift.
One other thing I noted as well was to "despise the despicable". We've shifted away from calling wrong things wrong, taking more of a live and let live approach. There's no social pressure to change so everyone feels comfortable doing their own thing.
Keeping finances and business dealings "clean" and above reproach rounds out this passage and is worth mention. It's easy to compartmentalize our lives and be doing great in one are and then just flat failing in another. Finances can be that fertle ground for us to compromise. Being willing to do the right thing even if it puts us in a financial pinch is something God will honor and bless. It's being willing to accept the idea of the long term gain as opposed to a short term gain. The long term comes with a promise of a future while the short term has nothing more than the immediate reward attached.
Psalm 15 is one I can return to over and over as a reminder of what God is looking for from me day to day. It's the standard of living by which I am being judged. Walk straight, treat others with kindness and care, keep your word, manage your finances and business dealings well. It's how I should live, and it's my reflection of my faith as well. God's influence in my life, the testimony I share both openly and just be others being in contact with me. How I live reflects on who I say that I am. Good reason to revisit Psalm 15 often.
Lord, as I move though my day, please help me to reflect who you are. Amen
