A Life of Integrity at Home
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.
In Psalm 101, David pledges to live an exemplary life. He will praise the Lord, not only with his songs, but with his character and behavior. In particular, David promises: “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” (101:2).
The phrase translated here as “I will lead a life of integrity” could be expressed more literally as “I will walk with integrity in my heart.” This refers to a profound consistency between one’s inner life and one’s outer lifestyle. It is the opposite of hypocrisy, where the inner and outer don’t match, or incongruity, where we act one way in one setting and a completely different way in another.
David mentions explicitly that he will walk with integrity “in my own home.” He means more than that he will live rightly when he is physically in his place of residence. David’s home is the place of his most intimate and important relationships, the place where he interacts with his closest friends and advisors, the place where he spends time with his children, the place where he draws near to God in prayer.
How easy it is for those of us who are in positions of leadership to squander our integrity at home. We appear to be people of high ethics in our workplace or public endeavors, but are altogether different when we’re with our family and friends, or when we are alone. Psalm 101 challenges us to live whole lives in which all the parts fit together, forming a mosaic of witness to God’s love, justice, and truth.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Are you living a life of integrity in your own home, in your closest relationships, in your private life? Where do you find it hard to experience the wholeness God wants to give you? Have you confessed your failings in this area to the Lord? Have you asked him to help you be a person of consistent integrity?
PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for this stirring reminder from Psalm 101. I want to lead a life of integrity in my own home. Yet so often I fail. Forgive me, Lord. Create in me a clean heart so that I might live for your glory in every moment.
Help me, by your grace and through your Spirit, to walk with integrity in every path of my life. When I’m with those who are closest to me or when I’m with nobody else but you, help me to honor you and those you have put in my life.
In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
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This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org), a wonderful website about work and God. You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
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