Good morning, everyone! A few days ago, I wrote about how Psalm 100 was a perennial favorite for finding joy in my own life and encouraging others. Today, as I’m nearing the end of my Bible reading plan, I was meditating on Psalm 101 (my Psalm readings are not in chronological order), and was struck by the fact that this is actually a wonderful Psalm to ponder as we approach Christmas:

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
    I will praise you with songs.
 I will be careful to live a blameless life—
    when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
    in my own home.
 I will refuse to look at
    anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
    I will have nothing to do with them.
 I will reject perverse ideas
    and stay away from every evil.

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
    I will not endure conceit and pride.

 I will search for faithful people
    to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
    will be allowed to serve me.
 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
    and liars will not stay in my presence.
 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
    and free the city of the Lord from their grip.

Psalm 101:1-8

My first reaction to reading this psalm was, “Wow, how inspiring!” But as I sat with it a bit longer and asked the Holy Spirit to illuminate my own heart, I became more uncomfortable. These are wonderful aspirations, and as the inspired Word of God, they represent God’s desired will for my life, but sadly I can’t say that this psalm reflects the truth about my life all the time. Even the opening gave me pause: I love singing praises to God in church and try to make a practice of singing at home as well, but can I with 100% certainty say that my praise is always coming from a completely sincere, undistracted heart? I was also struck by the verse “I live a life of integrity in my own home.” It’s easy to serve in church and focus on the status of my outward-facing relationships, but how would my family describe me? Even if Ivan affirms my integrity, how would I score with God, who knows the deepest secrets of my heart? And then there’s the part about not enduring “conceit and pride.” Once again, I’m fairly good at identifying certain overt sins, but a judgmental or critical spirit can slip under the radar.

By the time I’d reached the end of the psalm, I’d been reminded – yet again – that I am not above reproach, especially if I’m considering the thoughts of my heart that only the Lord sees. But instead of being depressed, I was encouraged that, while David’s aspirations in this psalm are righteous – especially given his role as king of Israel – at certain points in his life even he would not have met the requirements he was inspired to write.

But one of David’s descendants would. In addition to dying for our sins, Jesus lived the perfect life that none of us could ever live so that his righteousness could be fully credited to each of us who trusts him for salvation. I believe God includes passages like Psalm 101 for us in Scripture to remind us of his holy standard, and to encourage us to keep pursuing these character qualities once we’ve received our new nature as believers (Col. 3:10). As we look forward to Christmas, let us give thanks for the new natures we’ve received and the progressive sanctification that is taking place in all our lives, all because Jesus humbled himself, took on human flesh, and lived a perfect life in our place 2,000 years ago!

See you tomorrow!