When you faithfully behold the glory of Christ and relish in the way he lived, his Spirit will transform you so that you resemble your Savior, gradually becoming more beautiful – more like Psalm 15.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with some thoughts about Psalm 15. And friend, if you’re familiar with Psalms that sound impossibly challenging for the average Christian, then you know all about Psalm 15. Now, it starts off well enough like, “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” In other words, oh, Lord, who gets to enjoy fellowship with you? Who do you delight in welcoming into your home? Simple questions but the answers are anything but. God’s list of standards hit us hard, like a boxer landing multiple uppercuts on your jaw. So, who is the person who dwells not only on God’s hill, but God’s holy hill? Psalm 15 answers like this: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor…the person who dwells on God’s holy hill is the one who despises a vile person, but who honors those who fear the Lord; it’s the one who swears to his own hurt and does not change…He who does these things shall never be moved.” Again, those are the words of Psalm 15, and you’ve got to wonder, who lives like that? What Christian walks blamelessly, speaks the truth, doesn’t slander, does no evil, always does what’s right, even when it costs him?
Well, there you have it. Psalm 15 describes the person we are not. There is only one who walks blamelessly and always does what is right. There exists only one who’s that good, and we are not him. It’s why almost all theologians agree that this Psalm actually points to Jesus Christ, the perfect man. And so, when Romans 8 tells us that we are to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, Psalm 15 tells us exactly what that should look like. It describes the character qualities of Jesus that we, in ever-increasing measure, should reflect to the world. And don’t think it’s impossible; honestly, it can be done; God can change you bit by bit. As we focus on Jesus Christ and his loveliness, 2 Corinthians says that the Spirit “transforms us into the Son’s image from one degree of glory to another [bit by bit].”
And so, as you faithfully behold the glory of Christ and relish in the way he lived, his Spirit will transform you so that you resemble your Savior, gradually becoming more beautiful – and more like Psalm 15. And I can envision you doing it. Really, I can. With God’s grace, you can. I picture you walking with integrity; being honest before God and others. I picture you living righteously [and not considering it a stuffy thing]. I picture you feeling contempt for the kind of person who pursues and promotes wickedness. I see you speaking truthfully. And avoiding gossip and nasty criticism. You won’t act cowardly by slandering or robbing someone else of their good name. I see you respecting people, encouraging them. And even swearing to your own hurt [meaning that you’ll keep your promises even when it costs you]. You will not give money in hope of gaining something else. Friend, that is you bit by bit. Always changing; always being transformed.
So, keep looking to Jesus, and keep reading Psalm 15. The character qualities that are, for you, a daily reminder of what it looks like to be Christlike. Hey, I trust these are encouraging words for you because every day I sure do love sharing hope through your hardships. And if you need prayer, don’t forget, you can turn to us at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends