I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. (Ps. 101:2)
After William Gibson’s mother died, he reflected on her reputation as a woman of great faith. Wishing to be like her, he did a strange thing. He sat in his mother’s favorite chair, put on her gold-rimmed glasses, and began reading her prayer book. What happened? Absolutely nothing. He realized we cannot claim someone else’s faith for our own. Their example may encourage and inspire us, but ultimately it cannot substitute for our own faith.
David, writing Psalm 101, wanted to put his faith into action. As commendable as his forefathers were in blazing a trail of faith, it did not suffice for David. He wanted to “conduct the affairs of [his] house with a blameless heart.”
Such determination is not easy to carry out in these days. It seems that all of culture stresses values that would not be consistent with blameless living. Yet it all begins with a desire to be faithful to the Lord and live by his Word.
A cynical man on a sightseeing tour in Arizona criticized the Grand Canyon. He found fault with the Painted Desert. He spoke negatively about the Petrified Forest. Finally, the tour bus driver said, “Listen, mister, if you haven’t got it on the inside, you can’t see it on the outside.”
Our desire to live blamelessly begins with a blameless, faith-filled heart—and that comes only from God.
Renew your commitment to live blamelessly before God.
Ron McClung is a recently retired minister in The Wesleyan Church. He and his wife, Carol, live in Michigan and look forward to spending time with their two sons, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
