March 24 ~ Psalm 101:1-2
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.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
In 1973, country music artist Charlie Rich recorded a song called “Behind Closed Doors.” Essentially, this song tells of a woman who behaves one way in public – and another at home “behind closed doors.” The tag line to the chorus is, “…no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.” Sadly, I’m afraid this could be the tag line for a lot of us. We “play nice” in public and project the persona of someone who is polite, kind, morally upright, fair… and honest to a fault. Then we go home, and “the gloves come off” so to speak… along with our sense of propriety and decorum.
We treat our family members poorly… we use foul language and deride others. We gossip… we connive… we lie to others – and to ourselves. We think nobody else will find out how we really are, as long as we go to church on Sundays and act nicely at work, school, among our friends and/or when we are in public. But David tells us in this Psalm that integrity begins at home… where we think no one is looking. The truth is that GOD is always watching. And whether we want to believe it or not, others are watching, too.
You may think you are doing pretty well. You don’t curse… you try never to gossip… and you are kind and loving at all times. But let me ask you this… do you claim to trust Jesus in all things, then go home and wring your hands, worry and wrestle over challenges and concerns? Are you all about telling others how “the LORD will provide” as you question the very circumstances of your own life? Do you attend worship services and Bible studies and then blow up and get upset over the least of things that don’t go your way?
As human beings, there is no way we can sustain a “split personality” forever. We will slip up at some point, and the four-letter words we let fly at home will pepper our language in public. We’ll find it easy to say something we shouldn’t have or lash out at someone in the heat of the moment. If we mistreat our siblings, our spouse, our children or our pets, this behavior will carry over into our “public” lives… or someone will realize our secret. Others will discover what we really think about them… how we truly talk and act… or how weak our faith in God to meet our needs truly is…and our “Christian” witness will be tarnished.
God wants to equip us to operate with integrity at all times… in all places. He wants to help us control our thoughts and actions on every front. Through His love and justice, we are each able to come before Him and receive the help we need. Because of the blood of Jesus on the cross, our sins can be forgiven. We can ask God to enable us to live a more blameless life… and to trust Him more fully.
Jesus stands at the door and knocks, fully aware of what goes on inside your home… and your heart. Does what is on the inside match the outside? Have you entrusted Him to help you live with integrity? Have you given Him glory and praise for His love and justice? Isn’t this Holy Week a great time to renew your commitment to living a more blameless life in Christ and sharing His amazing love with others? Operating with complete integrity seems like such a small gesture of respect for the One who sacrificed so much. Will you praise the LORD in song and action - and glorify Him in your daily living… regardless of who is looking?
©2013 Debbie Robus
1 comment:
This is so true. Misunderstandings happen and last a long time. What is said in anger in the heat of a moment carry on for a long time and change lives and perceptions for a lifetime. What is sad, is what has been said takes over everything else and what has been is changed forever. 15 minutes of time given in anger lasts a lifetime. Trying to clear the air takes more than 15 minutes especially when that 15 minutes is already overshadowed by something like a test. Thanks for saying things that I have been looking to say for a long time.
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