Ps. 15:1 Who may abide or dwell as a welcome guest in God’s holy presence? 15:2 Walk means lifestyle, it’s how we’re to live
Gal. 5:16, 5:25 (to follow, adhere to).
The word for uprightly is most often translated, “without blemish.” Our problem is that we are deeply blemished by the sin in our hearts, and our sin separates from a holy God. Thank God, he loves us and he wants us to be close to him, so he made a way. That’s why the O. T. sacrifices had to be without blemish. They all pointed to the only unblemished one, Jesus Heb. 10:19-22.
When we believe God’s word and receive Jesus as Lord, God cleanses our hearts by forgiving all our sin, giving us his righteousness, and his Spirit enters our heart. Ps. 24:3-5 We have the privilege of living in close fellowship with the Lord 1 Jn. 1:7.
Our walk affects our:
I. Works Ps. 15:2; Mt. 5:16
These are the lifestyles of the righteous & faithful. Anyone can do religious deeds, but if they’re done without God, the Bible says they’re dead works. If we want others to glorify our Father in heaven, our good works must shine like light out of our close walk with him.
II. Words Ps. 15:2-4; Eph. 4:29, 30
Godly words come from God’s truth in our hearts, as we walk in step with the Spirit. Backbite, here, means to slander or “spy out” Josh. 6:25 In Ps. 15:3, it means to spy on someone & look for evil to use against that person. 15:4 Vile describes one who rejects God and his ways, reprobate. Despise is disdain or view as mean; it contrasts with honor. We keep our word, even when it costs us.
The way of victory in our words is submission to God’s Spirit in our hearts. We overcome rotten, unwholesome words with godly, grace-filled words.
III. Wealth Ps. 15:5; Mt. 6:19-21
Jesus used money to illustrate truth in most of the parables he taught. In Walk in Newness of Life, I wrote, “Money is an indicator of our heart, our priorities, and our trust in God.” If we walk in step with the Spirit, we will use the wealth God entrusts to us in ways that honor him, because we know that our true treasure is eternal
15:5 Doing God’s word gives us stability. We will not be moved from God’s presence or continually shaken. We’re to live by the truth and standard of God’s word, not the standards of the world we live in. If we are born again, God’s Spirit indwells us to empower to do his word and walk in step with him. Do you see how our walk with the Lord affects our walk with others too?
Let’s think about our walk with the Lord over the past week. Would you say you were in step with him?
What is one way you could better walk in step with the Spirit starting today?