Psalms 101
I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure. My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord. Psalms 101:1-8 NKJV
Is it actually possible to walk a blameless path in life? Unfortunately not, because our human nature apart from God is inherently sinful. But thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice, we are righteous before God in spite of our mistakes. With God’s help and guidance, there are choices we can make that direct us closer to leading a blameless life. If and when we do slip up, we repent quickly in order to get back on track. What does it mean to be blameless? A blameless person is someone who is innocent of any wrongdoing, in outward action or internal thought or motive. In this Psalm, David gives us some specific things that we can do in order to live a blameless life.
1. Praise God (verse 1). Taking the time to contemplate God’s holy, loving, giving, and all-powerful nature, will not only foster praise within our hearts, but will also move us towards willing obedience. “Praise the LORD. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness” (Psalm 150:1-2).
2. Live with integrity, even within the confines and privacy of your own home (verse 2). All too commonly, we fail to purposefully watch our words and actions at home like we do when we are in other places. We tend to let our guard down, allowing ourselves to act upon our sinful instincts and out-of-control emotions. This needs to stop if we are to lead a blameless life and to be Christ’s example for others. We need to be as careful at home with our words, tone and actions, as we are away from home. “The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them” (Proverbs 20:7).
3. Do not expose yourself to things that are immoral and evil (verses 3-4). Blameless people do not compromise no matter what is popular or considered culturally acceptable. We cannot allow ourselves or our children/grandchildren to become desensitized to immorality, crudeness, or other vulgar things that we may hear, read, or watch. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLT).
4. Do not use words that tear others down (verse 5). Words are extremely powerful. God spoke the universe into being by the power of words. We are created in His image and are the only creatures on Earth that have the ability to communicate through the spoken word. The privilege to use words is a unique and powerful gift from God. We need to make sure to use this important gift to teach, to encourage and to help others. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Take a few seconds to evaluate your words before they escape from your mouth: Are they filled with hate or love, annoyance or patience, bitterness or blessing, complaining or compliments, victory or defeat? Jesus warned us of the consequences of our words in Matthew 12:36-37: “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
5. Do not allow ungodly, wicked people to affect the way you think and act (verses 3-4). While we are here on Earth, we will always be around people who do not know God, and who act accordingly. It was for this reason that Jesus prayed for us in John 17:14-15: “I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one.” Because we are followers of Christ, we are equipped and able to live in this sinful world without succumbing to it. We are set apart from the world and are not ruled by sin. In addition, as we mature in Christ, our interests and focus become less about the things the world has to offer. But it does not stop there. We are also called to be a light to those who are in spiritual darkness. We are to live in such a way that unbelievers see our good deeds, our pure motives, our peace when undergoing trials, and our loving treatment of others as proof that there truly is something different about those of us that claim to be disciples of Christ. We need to stay close to Him at all times so that we can affect the world without letting it infect us. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
6. Choose faithful, godly role models (verse 6). Having people in your life who demonstrate godly characteristics is vitally important to your spiritual growth. Observing a wise, godly mentor can teach you so much about how to handle certain situations in life, and they can be a valuable resource of advice and guidance. “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).
7. Embrace honesty (verse 7). Satan is the father of lies. Anytime we are less than honest we have yielded to his temptation. Make the commitment to live a life free of lies and deceit. We should also expect honesty from the people around us and distance ourselves from those who do not value or practice honesty. “The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy” (Proverbs 12:22).
8. Squash pride and conceit (verse 5). “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5). Pride leads to an abundance of sins. It leads to us taking the credit for things that God has accomplished on our behalf. It takes the focus off of God and keeps it on ourselves. It pushes us towards self-sufficiency instead of allowing ourselves to admit that we need Him in all that we do. Being blameless absolutely requires humility. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10).
Which of the above areas do you need to work on most? Ask God for His guidance so that you can stay on the blameless path of freedom and abundance that He has created for you!