Day 604: Psalm 101- Worship With Integrity

​I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
    to you, O Lord, I will make music.
2 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;
3 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.

4 A perverse heart shall be far from me;
    I will know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
    I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
    I will not endure.
 
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
    that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way that is blameless
    shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
    shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
    shall continue before my eyes.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy
    all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers
    from the city of the Lord.
 
Meditation
Brennan Manning wrote, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.” God’s grace invites us to worship with integrity, with our lips and our lives.
 
The Psalmist sings of the steadfast love and justice of the Lord, leading worship for the community (1). The lyrics go further to direct a life of worship, integrity for the worship community.
 
“I will walk with integrity of heart within my house,” the worshipers proclaim (2). This integrity is comprehensive. The worshipper commits to not see anything worthless (3). Does this include what the worshipper streams on TV?
 
Integrity of worship moves through the heart, in the home, from the eyes, in relationships, and to the neighborhood. Integrity commits to not “know” anything evil, a relational commitment determined to live for God’s glory (4). This is a public and private commitment, not yoking with anyone who practices deceit (7) and not slandering people in the neighborhood (5).
 
To worship with integrity is to walk blamelessly (6) morning by morning (8). The comprehensive prescription leads to deep conviction, confession that I have not worshipped faithfully with my lips and life! The perfect life of Jesus and His death in my place is needed to know grace and begin again. In view of God’s mercy I can live a life of sacrificial praise! Worshipping with integrity, a faithful witness to the world as God’s grace is proclaimed with our lips AND lives!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you worship with integrity?
 
-The perfect life of Jesus is given to us in faith, imputing His righteousness to our record. God’s grace gives a new heart so we can begin again to worship God with integrity from the heart. Take a moment to marinate on this reality.
 
-How can you respond to God’s grace, to live in view of God’s mercy, to live a life of worship from your heart, in your home, through your eyes, in your relationships, and in your neighborhood? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
2 … I will walk with integrity of heart within my house…