Psalms 15:1-5 (NIV)
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
The last sentence of David’s psalm shows us what he is after - “he who does these things will never be shaken”. Oh yes, who doesn’t want a life that is never shaken. The KJV uses the phrase “shall not be moved”. The word in Hebrew means “to slip, shake, fall”.
Now that’s life – steady, steadfast, immovable! No matter what life throws at us, or what the devil may hurl at us, we shall not be moved!
David saw this unshakeable life in the presence of God – “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” he asked in the first verse. A believer who dwells in God’s presence, who lives in His abode, is someone who will not be shaken. The world shakes everyday – but a Christian holds on to He who is immovable, unshakeable – the Rock.
In the New Testament we have the gracious privilege of being a temple of the Holy Spirit, of God Himself indwelling us. We dwell and live in His presence through constant communion and fellowship with the Lord. This should always be the priority of a Christian, being in His dwelling place always.
But an unshakeable life isn’t just about prayer, or meditating upon His Word. Prayer and God’s Word is the foundation of being in God’s presence. But it is also about practice – practicing the presence of God in our life. God’s presence is also about seeing Him, living His life, practicing His teachings in our daily lives. David describes it in the psalm:
1. He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous. A Christian dabbling in sin, or allowing unrighteousness a place or foothold in his life, opens him up to circumstances that will surely shake him up.
2. Who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue. How we use our words in our relationship with others will also tell how steady our lives will be. If we deal honestly, sincerely and respectfully with others we will be strong and surefooted.
3. Who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman. Our dealings with our neighbors is another basis of an unshakeable life. If we love our neighbors, and speak only good things about them, we will not get into trouble.
4. Who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD. Our choice of companions, friends, those we always fellowship with, will also tell how stable our lives will be. Who do we honor in our conversations with others?
5. Who keeps his oath even when it hurts. Being a man/woman of our word never hurt relationships. On the contrary it builds up trust and gives us a good name.
6. Who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. How we behold money is another thing David pointed out. Do we look at money simply as a way to get rich, to the point that we will use others just to get rich? Do we allow money to make decisions for us? If we are masters over our money, we have a strong and unshakeable life ahead of us.
Being in the presence of the Lord is both in our hearts and in our lives. As we dwell in His presence, both in prayer and in action, the Lord assures us of a life that will not be shaken!
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