Psalm 15

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 15

Lord, Who May Abide in Your Tabernacle?

Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
The 15th Psalm, NKJV

What an amazing description of the true believer. To be a Christian is more than just believing in Christ as our Savior. It also involves a change of heart that results in a changed life. Things we once desired do not interest us today.

Does this mean there is more to salvation that accepting Christ? No, definitely not! These are not things we do that MAKE us a Christian. Instead, this Psalm describes the change that takes place in our heart and life because we ARE a Christian.

Does this mean that if we do not do everything listed here we are not a Christian? No, definitely not! These represent the true heart and GOAL of every Christian. We desire to be truthful, to not backbite, to not do evil to our neighbor, etc.

Lest we take offense at a Psalm such as this, we must remember that it is God who defines what is meant to be a believer. It is time that we quit comparing ourselves to other people, and instead, compare ourselves to God. In doing so, we quickly realize that it is God who saves--we do not save ourselves.

If you're like me, I get a little "squirmy" when I read this Psalm. Some of the things listed seem much easier to accomplish than others. So, what do we do? We pray to God that He will help us to become more and more like Christ every day of our lives. All of our hope and life and trust comes from Christ.

Pray today that God will make you more like the Godly Christian in this Psalm.

Next: Psalm 16, The Hope of the Faithful

Another devotion from the 15th Psalm

Christian in a Nutshell