INTRODUCTION
As Christians, we want a healthy and vigorous devotional life. We want to enjoy worshipping God in our closets, in our families, and in our church. We want to honor and please God in our worship as well as get spiritual benefit from it ourselves. But sometimes we’re not sure if this is happening. Indeed, sometimes we have no sense of pleasing God nor of spiritual profit. What’s going on there? What’s going wrong there?
Psalm 15 answers that question and points to the solution. It’s this: Our daily life is connected to our devotional life. Or, to put it another way. A healthy devotional life is inseparable from a holy daily life. How is our daily life connected to our devotional life?
I. LIVE A HOLY DAILY LIFE (1-5)
David begins with one of the most important questions we could ever ask. “Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” (1). Who can worship God? Who can live in God’s holy presence? Who can worship God successfully?
His answer is not about getting the right religious practices in place. It’s not about following liturgical rules. In fact, he leaves the sanctuary altogether and finds his answer, not in the place of worship, but in the place of work, daily work, everyday life. Look at his description of an ideal worshipper.
- He has a blameless walk: “He who walks blamelessly” (2a).
- He does righteous actions: “He…does what is right” (2b)
- He speaks truthful words: “He…speaks truth in his heart” (2c)
- He loves his neighbor: “He…does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend” (3)
- He’s a faithful friend: “In his eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord” (4a)
- He keeps his promises: “He…swears to his own hurt and does not change” (4b)
- He’s a generous giver: “He…does not put out his money at interest” (5a)
- He cannot be corrupted: “He…does not take a bribe against the innocent” (5b)
Work cannot be separated from worship without both suffering.
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Enjoy holy work to enjoy holy worship. Sunday worship cannot be separated from Mon-Sat work. We can’t live like hell six days a week then sing like heaven on Sunday. We can’t be a devil in our daily work then an angel in our private devotions.
We can’t hate others in our work
then love God in our worship
“So, what’s the result of living a holy daily life?”
A healthy devotional life.
II. LOVE A HEALTHY DEVOTIONAL LIFE (1, 5)
In answer to the question in verse 1, the holy person described in verses 2-5 will sojourn in God’s tent, this godly person will dwell on God’s holy hill. And, as the Psalm concludes, “He who does these things shall never be moved” (5). A stable steady godly life will result in a stable steady relationship with God.
If we live a holy daily life, we will enjoy a healthy devotional life. Then, when we begin to worship, we can be confident that God accepts us, that God welcomes us, that God says, “You can stay here.” We will also enjoy a sense of spiritual strength and security. We shall never be moved.
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Works cannot give us life. “But I thought we believed in salvation by grace? I thought our personal holiness had no place in our salvation.” That’s true. Salvation is by grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone. Works have no place in our salvation. In fact, Christ’s work in fulfilling this Psalm perfectly is our salvation.
Works have a place in the saved life. Once saved, God does connect our enjoyment of him and our enjoyment of our salvation with a holy life. If we want to love God well, we must live for God well.
10 Obstacles to Personal Devotions in the Digital Age
- Loss of boundaries
- Loss of concentration
- Loss of deep reading
- Loss of meditation
- Loss of memory
- Loss of sleep
- Loss of quiet
- Loss of time
- Loss of purity
- Loss of patience
10 Helps for Personal Devotions in the Digital Age
- Take guilt to the cross
- Get to bed early
- Start short
- Do devotions first
- Establish regular time and place
- Avoid digital distractions
- Vary Bible reading and prayers
- Ready easy parts with difficult parts
- Pray and read out loud
- Turn truth into prayers
A healthy devotional life is
inseparable from a holy daily life.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Gospel: Jesus’s perfect daily life and perfect devotional life is our only hope of getting life.
Worship: Get more enjoyment in worship by living a life of worship.
Coldness: if you are experiencing coldness in worship, look for a cause in yourself first.
Heaven: This Psalm will be perfectly and fully experienced in heaven where everyone will have a perfect daily life and a perfect devotional life.
Prayer: Holy God you want holy worshippers. Therefore give us perfect holiness in Christ and develop growing holiness in our lives.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How have you noticed the connection between your working life and your worshipping life?
2. How do you know if you are experiencing and enjoying God in worship?
3. What are the ethical areas you are tested in in your daily life?
4. How does hearing this Psalm sung by Jesus change the way you sing this Psalm?
5. How does John 14:15-17 and John 14:21 help you understand this Psalm?
6. Who do you know that needs this Psalm and how will you disciple them with it?