Life is what you choose to make of it. Living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age does not occur accidentally. It requires flint-like (Isaiah 50:7), steadfast (Luke 9:51) determination. Godly living is achieved via the backbone, not the wishbone.
In the first four verses of Psalm 101, David enumerates three purposeful pillars for his life. Three determinations by which he will live. Note the purposes of David’s life:
- Worship. “I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises” (v. 1). There are some who have the habit of not assemblying to worship with God’s people (Hebrews 10:25). David was thrilled at the opportunity to worship: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1). The dozens of psalms attributed to him demonstrate that David’s determination and desire to worship God was intense and lifelong.
- Obedience. “I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart” (v. 2). David sought to walk wisely before His God. Obedience was not a spasmodic concern; it was constant. He hungered and thirsted for righteousness because it fueled his soul.
- Purity. “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness” (vv. 3-4). Purity in a crooked and perverse generation is no fluke. Keeping oneself unspotted from the world and meditating upon virtuous and praiseworthy things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report require great will power. David’s transgression with Bathsheba is a somber reminder of how much lifelong damage can be done with a brief lapse in one’s determination to be pure in heart.
Are you living purposefully or aimlessly?
