Psalm 101:1-3 – I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
THEME OF THE DAY: WHO WE ARE IN PRIVATE IS WHO WE REALLY ARE. Today’s scripture is one of those portions of scripture which serve like a surgeon’s scalpel. In the hand of the Divine Physician, these words of David cut us open for a healthy look at our heart. For Christians hungering for holiness, passionate for Christ, and yearning to be transparent in their walks with the Lord, this lying on the spiritual operating table having our hearts opened and examined is welcomed. And the one “cut of exposure” on our hearts we want to make today comes from the latter part of verse two – “I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.”
Imagine if I did two things in your life. First, I spent an hour with your husband, wife, or if you are single, the closest person who knows you best, and asked, “Tell me what (your name) is like at home or in private.” And no “sugar-coating” allowed. Brutal honesty and no cutting corners. The second thing I did, if you are a parent or grandparent, was take your children or grandchildren aside and said, “Tell me if your dad, mom, grandpa, or grandma is different in their conduct during the week than what I see and hear on Sundays or in church settings with other Christians.” What type of responses would I get? Would I hear things like, “Well, (fill in your role – husband, wife, dad, mom, grandpa, grandmother) doesn’t read the Bible much and I only hear prayer over meals and at bedtime.” Would I hear, “(Fill in your roles – husband, wife, dad, mom, grandpa, grandmother) seems to complain a lot about people, work, even church; even the leaders in our church.” Or would I hear, “(Fill in your roles – husband, wife, dad, mom, grandpa, grandmother) isn’t perfect, but real. I see a striving to show me Jesus. There is consistency in the Bible not only in reading it but living it. I also observe a humble person who puts forth the sweet aroma of Christ in my home. We even take time for family worship to pray and read the Bible. Yes, (Fill in your roles – husband, wife, dad, mom, grandpa, grandmother), I see the same person every day, not a different one on Sunday.” I hope the latter scenario defines us. Godliness starts at home and that individually; in our own private walks with the Lord.
One of my heroes in the faith, the 19th century Scottish pastor Robert Murray M’Cheyne once said, “A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more.” He was right. Our prayer lives tell us much about our walk with the Lord, but I would add a similar quote to that of the esteemed M’Cheyne, “What we are in our private lives, when no one observes us but God, reveals our true spiritual identity and health.”
It is in our private lives that we will know who and what we are. It doesn’t matter if we are single or married; what happens in our private, individual lives reveals our true self. What we do, what we view, and what occupies our thoughts when no one observes us but God shows us our true character. Ultimately, it will be our private lives which serve as the true measurement of our spiritual condition before the Lord.
PRAYER: “Father, teach me that my walk with You is 24/7 and not relegated in my life to certain days or times.”
QUOTE: “To be a holy Christian one must be wholly Christian in our lives and that means the same publicly and privately.”