A man is born beside the road to death. To die is not so much, it is inevitable. The journey is what matters, and what one does along the way. And it’s not that he succeeds or fails, only that he has lived proudly, with honor and respect, then he can die proudly.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Ferguson Rifle)
“I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness.”
–Ecclesiastes 3:16(HCSB)
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Many years ago President Franklin D. Roosevelt made this statement.
“The old ship of state is still on the same course, because the nation has based its life on moral principles.”
Look at our country now. Can that statement be made today? Hardly, for now people are calling good evil and evil good. To keep the media away from you a person must be a perverted, left-wing, moronic fool. How dare a person be righteous and godly in today’s society, why it is almost blasphemous to the leaders on the liberal side. However, Psalm 15 describes a godly person. Before looking at the Psalm, notice right off that the Psalmist alludes to the “holy mountain.”
In the Old Testament there would be a group of priests standing guard at the gate of the sanctuary. They would allow only those who qualified to enter. Shocking, and you say that is Old Testament and it doesn’t pertain to us. Take another look. Jesus, our High Priest, will one day preside and determine who gets to enter the Sanctuary–Heaven, the throne of God. Do you fit the bill?
1 Lord, who can dwell in Your tent? Who can live on Your holy mountain?
2 The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart—
3 who does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his friend or discredit his neighbor,
4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his word whatever the cost,
5 who does not lend his money at interest or take a bribe against the innocent—the one who does these things will never be moved.
These verses depict worship. Hmmm, interesting, nothing about singing in these verses. The reason is that true worship is a lifestyle. It who were able to enter was based on lifestyle. We should live as residents of His holy hill. We are to live on earth with no less than heavenly behavior.
One verse caught my attention and it surely would not be popular in today’s society or church. Look at one of the requirements in verse 4. Those who God has rejected, we are to reject as well. Yet today we molly-coddle those who blatantly sin and then say, “I’m only human.” We say, “oh the poor dear,” when we ought to be praying them to repentance.
Putting all of these verses together I do not see anything about happiness, or your opinion, or doing things for self. We are in an age where people are placing duty aside for personal happiness and satisfaction. No–duty; being a person of integrity, then you can enter the sanctuary; you can dwell in the Lord’s tent upon His holy mountain.