Living a life of integrity isn’t easy. Given that, in Psalm 101, King David gives us a prayer and a list that we can easily follow with the help of the Holy Spirit. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 101
A psalm of David.
1 I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
I will praise you with songs.
2 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.
3 I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.
5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.6 I will search for faithful people
Psalm 101 NLT
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.
7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the Lord from their grip.
What is Integrity?
The dictionary defines integrity as a noun:
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
The state of being whole and undivided:
- the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction.
- internal consistency or lack of corruption in electronic data.
The first definition applies to humans and living a life of integrity. The latter two apply to buildings, machines, structures, and even computer data. Just like if the integrity of the foundation of a house is compromised — like from termites, or cracks — the house collapses. It falls apart. With a firm foundation — without bugs or faults — the house is structurally sound.
Likewise, another word for living a life of integrity is living righteously. Yes, it’s one of the churchy words, but we often find it in the Bible.
How King David Learned Integrity
Psalm 101 was written around the time King David attempted to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. We find that story in 2 Samuel 6. Pastor Sandy Adams elaborates:
David wanted to bring the Ark of God [the Covenant] up to Jerusalem. The Ark was God’s sacred seat – His throne on the earth. David wanted it to be center stage in the life of the nation. But David went about it the wrong way… He put it on an ox-drawn cart. God had the Ark built with eyelets where poles could be inserted and it carried by men.
It was a protective design. When David’s cart hit a bump and the Ark slid, a man name Uzzah stuck out his hand to brace it – and he was struck down dead. Unholy hands were to never touch the Holy Ark. It was an extreme lesson.
And David took it to heart. David learned two truths from the tragedy.First, God anoints men not machines. His presence is to be carried in the hearts of men not carted on the latest
technology. EM Bounds once said, “Man is looking for better methods. God is looking for better men.”And second, David learned a good deed can be done a wrong way. It is not enough to simply serve God – there is a way He wants to be served. David’s negligence had a cost a man his life. Psalm 101 is David’s commitment to never let a similar catastrophe happen again.
Pastor Sandy Adams
Can YOU live a life of Integrity?
You can try. However, it’s Satan‘s job to tempt you and encourage you to live otherwise. As we get closer to the End Times, we see an increase in evil. It’s all around us.
Peter wrote…
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
In Proverbs, we read…
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Provebs 9:10 NLT
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
Can We Humans Purge All Evil from Our Lives?
Not on our own. That’s where Jesus comes in. The folks at Spoken Gospel explain…
David was passionate about purging evil from every corner of his kingdom. But truly succeeding would have meant getting rid of everyone in Israel, even himself. No one keeps God’s laws perfectly. David’s zeal for an evil-free kingdom would have left it utterly empty. But David’s descendant, Jesus, came to establish God’s Kingdom of love and justice and to fill it with faithful citizens.
Unlike David or his people, Jesus kept God’s law perfectly (1 John 3:5). His heart loved and served God. He harbored no hidden pride. He never whispered slander. And when Jesus announced that God’s Kingdom of love and justice was finally beginning, he didn’t punish lawbreakers; he befriended and ate with them. Instead of treating their evil like a judge, he treated their evil like a doctor treats an illness (Luke 5:29-32). But those in power were unwilling to join Jesus’ campaign against evil in this way. Instead, they saw him as a threat. They preferred their unjust kingdom, where they could keep their privileged positions by exploiting the poor, serving idols, and killing those who got in the way (Mark 11:15-18).
So Jesus’ zeal for justice and his intolerance of evil cost him his life. But Jesus rose from the dead and sat on a throne in heaven. In his resurrection, Jesus destroyed the evil and injustice that killed him, he uprooted the power of death, and he demonstrated that his kingdom of love and justice would last forever (Colossians 2:15). One of Jesus’ first decrees as King was to send his Spirit to everyone who desires to be in his Kingdom (Acts 1:8). By his Spirit, the evil and injustice that resides in our hearts is purged. And by God’s Spirit, we become people of love and justice who will live in God’s Kingdom forever (Galatians 5:22-25).
Spoken Gospel
We, by ourselves, can attempt to live righteously — we can go to church, follow rites and rituals, follow the 10 Commandments, confess to a priest, try to complete every sacrament, I could go on — or we can be freed from the burden of religion by trusting our lives to Jesus Christ.
Jesus told us…
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
He also said…
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27 NLT
Have you built your life on Jesus’ firm foundation?
Additionally, for those of you in the United States, please consider if the people you are voting for live a life of integrity NOW. Remember, everyone’s a sinner. Everyone has sinned. Does it seem like they are respected, honest, and have good morals and values? Do they value human life? Pray before you vote!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
