LIVING CLOSER TO THE LORD

Psalm 15:1-5 NKJV 
1 Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? 
Who may dwell in Your holy hill? 
2 He who walks uprightly, 
And works righteousness, 
And speaks the truth in his heart; 
3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, 
Nor does evil to his neighbor, 
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; 
4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, 
But he honors those who fear the Lord; 
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 
5 He who does not put out his money at usury, 
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. 
He who does these things shall never be moved. 

This psalm contains a question and the answer, so we need to look at the entire psalm. It is short but powerful. This psalm centers around the question of who is the person that can live close to the Lord. David is asking this question of the Lord, and the Lord answers him. 

The things that the Lord lists are conduct and character qualities. The first three regard our position with the Lord. Walking uprightly or with integrity before God. And working righteousness is doing those things that are right before God. And speaking the truth in his heart or speaking truth from a sincere heart. All of these three are better determined by the Lord as opposed to what people think. Right living, right works, and right words are what the Lord sees. 

However, the Lord does not stop there but adds some qualities that have to do with our treatment of other people. The one who lives close to the Lord, the one who dwells with Him and lives in His presence, is not only conscious of how he lives regarding the Lord but does right when it comes to people. 

Does not backbite or slander people. Period. To be on the safe side, we have to include all people because the Lord says to. We are blessed people who are called to bless. So, blessing and slander should not be coming from the same source. 

Does no evil to his neighbor. No harm comes to anyone in the proximity of the one living close to the Lord. And does not receive a reproach against his friend. Someone walking close to the Lord is not a receptacle for gossip. Gossip dies here. 

Someone who walks close to the Lord honors godly people, not the ungodly. Not saying that we can't be around the ungodly, but their ways do not carry our stamp of approval. We love them, but we don't love what they do. 

The person living close to the Lord is good for his word. This person can give their word, and even if it is not advantageous to them, they still keep it. This may seem a bit old school, but that's exactly what it is. God's ways and wisdom are ancient but timeless. This is also the person who does not take advantage of the poor. He does not loan money with exorbitant rates of interest. So yes, the Lord regards how we do business. And for someone who loves the Lord and lives close to Him, they can not be bribed to do wrong. The innocent are safe with these people. 

So the person who lives this way is the one who walks and lives life close to the Lord. And here is the benefit. The one who does these things is strong and stable. The scriptures say not moved and not shaken. These are the people who stand firm. And these are the people who reflect the Lord well. 

PRAYER 

Lord, I do want to live closer to You. Thank You for showing me how and giving me the capacity to live this way.