“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others.”

Psalm 15:1-3

Approaching God, who is holy, is a real privilege, akin to that of an infant lying in its mother’s bosom, receiving succor. However, being in the holy presence of the Lord can also be risky. So, the one thing we require to be in his presence is the blood of Christ, because we are sinful. Then, we need to develop integrity or wholeness of character so that there is no variance between what we portray on the outside and who we really are on the inside. Blamelessness and righteousness are essential. The former speaks of a virtuous character who does not wrong their neighbor through slander, bribery, or profiteering, nor falls in with vile people. The speech of a blameless person will reflect the truthfulness that lies deep in the heart (v. 2). The words will edify and build up, not tear down or undermine, those who hear. This is a call to a consecrated lifestyle, a summons to re-examine our cultural conditioning.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, for those times when I am not walking close to you, convict me and help me to seek your forgiveness—for surely, the fault is mine. Please help me to abide in you (edited from Encounter with God).