As Iron Sharpens Iron
Psalm 15:1 - 3
Lord, who may reside in Your tent? Who may settle on Your holy hill? One who walks with integrity, practices righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, nor do evil to his neighbor, nor bring shame on his friend.
Psalm 15 is one of my favorite Psalms. In fact, it is one of my “go-to” Psalms. I read it often and hold on to its truth. The Psalm begins with two questions, “Who may reside in Your tent? Who may settle on Your holy hill?” This is a Psalm of David and he is drawing us to a very important truth. He is saying to us, “Who can dwell in the presence of God?” That is the matter at the very heart of this Psalm. What does it take for us to dwell in the presence of God?
There are a number of ways to answer this question. First of all, we can only dwell in God’s presence because He has made a way for that to occur through the work of Jesus Christ. The cross and the empty grave are the completed work of Jesus. Therefore, when we place our faith in Christ, we know that we can daily and permanently dwell in His presence. Simply put, we can dwell in God’s presence because Jesus made a way for us to do so.
The second way to answer this question is how we as Christ-followers are to live. David is saying, “God, I want to dwell in Your presence. I want to reside near You”. And then David answers the question with a list of answers.
In that list are things such as integrity, truthfulness, righteousness, holy ways, and other things. But notice the end of vs. 3, “nor bring shame on his friend.”
Our actions have consequences. You have heard it said that you are free to choose but you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions. Every unwise decision we make impacts those around us. The consequences of those unwise and unholy actions impact our spouse, our children, our neighbors, and yes, even our friendships.
And the opposite is also true. Our wise decisions and our holy choices positively impact our friendship. Think again about that phrase at the end of vs. 3, “nor bring shame on his friend.” Perhaps the greatest thing we can do for our friends is to walk and live and dwell in the presence of God every day. When we make righteous decisions about how we spend our money, our time, our talents, and our abilities, not only do we please God, but we also honor our friends.
Now before we take this too far, let’s be careful not to begin waving a searchlight into our friends' lives. But let’s be sure that we recognize that everyday living for the followers of Christ brings with it an impact on those relationships around us, especially our friends and family.
So let me ask you some questions to give you some things to consider.
Do your actions and words and the places you go bring shame on your friends or encourage your friends?
Can you say that you are living close to the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby glorifying Him as well as honoring your friends?
What are some things in your life that need to be set aside to strengthen your friendships?