Read Psalm 101
Of David. A psalm.
1 I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, Lord, I will sing praise.
2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs of my house
with a blameless heart.
3 I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.
I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
4 The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.
5 Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
will minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
will stand in my presence.
8 Every morning I will put to silence
all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
from the city of the Lord.
Go Deeper
Psalm 101 was written by David. It is understood as a vow made as he assumed leadership of God’s people, but is also considered a vow of how he plans to lead his household. We understand David to be a man after God’s own heart. This psalm is a beautiful peek into his heart for God and his people. Whether it be in governance, the workforce or in our families, this psalm is packed with insights for any who have been placed in any kind of leadership position or position of influence and authority. Embrace this wisdom as we seek to steward the influence we have in our world faithfully.
David vows to bring glory and honor to the name of God and live blamelessly before Him. This highlights the importance of adopting God’s standards of holiness and righteousness as our benchmark. David knows following God is serious business. Reaching God’s high standard is not easy. Anything that misses the mark must be rejected. David leads others to reach God’s standard by rewarding obedience to God’s ways and promoting a culture of holiness and godliness among his followers.
Are we aware of how Satan works in this space? The way he goes about stealing, killing and destroying leaders can be hard to see coming. We may never see a thief, receive a death threat or have any part of our lives seemingly destroyed in an instant. However, we might begin to give ourselves a free pass on select sins (“Well, that’s not a big deal. I’m doing better than most people. Nobody’s perfect.”). We may not hold our followers to a high standard. Satan uses these kinds of thoughts and actions to keep us from meeting God’s standards of holiness and righteousness.
Through this psalm, we are reminded that leadership is a serious matter. When we take it seriously, we are careful to honor the Lord in any responsibility we have. Whether it seems like a trivial responsibility or one that holds extreme importance. Whatever positions we find ourselves in, we bring glory to God and order and peace to the spaces and people within our spheres of influence.
Questions
- What has God given you to steward to the glory of God? Have you recognized and accepted the responsibility to conduct yourself in a way that brings praise to God?
- An important responsibility within any leadership role is nurturing the culture around you. What impact does your influence have on your vocational or family culture?
- Take some time to write out your own vow to God in which you commit to using and stewarding your influence to honor God and his ways.
Keep Digging
The Bible is full of encouragement for us as we serve God in our families, schools, and workplaces. Here are some verses you can meditate on as you consider how you can honor God in those spaces today:
- Proverbs 3:5-12
- Colossians 3:23
- Romans 12:1 & 2
- Matthew 20:26-28
- Romans 12:3-8
- Philipians 2:3-4
Leave a Comment Below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email hello@biblereadingplan.org.
1 thought on “Psalm 101”
David clearly understood that obedience is a matter of the heart, so he carefully guarded it from sin. He made a vow to God to rule with integrity; the godless, deceitful, and arrogant would not be tolerated. Whether from inward compulsions or external influences we must constantly guard our hearts. We’ve been deceived by a culture that constantly feeds our ego with mantras like “follow your heart”. David sends a different message; he informs his heart. He pre-decided how he would run his household and kingdom. Today, I’m checking the status of my heart, is it leading me to or away from my Savior?