Psalm 101
What would you say is the most important part of a house? The roof? The foundation? Or—perhaps as my husband and I found out shortly after we bought a house without one—the garage? Well, according to the psalmist, none of these is the most important part of a house.
According to Psalm 101, the most important part of a house is the heart of the person who lives there: “I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.” (vs 2) This is right in line with what Jesus said in Mark: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mk 8:36)
Photo © Unsplash/Debby Hudson
You may live in a castle with the most luxurious amenities known to man, but what good will all of that do you if you’re eaten up with misery and greed? Money can’t buy happiness! Wealth can’t buy contentment! But a blameless heart is at home wherever it goes.
God’s house stands because it is built on a blameless heart. He embodies the imagery in this psalm—innocence, honesty, faithfulness, humility, and purity. If He did not embody these characteristics, His government would fall. If He did not possess these qualities, His house would implode.
The psalmist had somehow learned that in order for his house to thrive, he needed to pattern his heart after God’s. For it is a blameless heart that provides a firm foundation for your home. Anything less, and you’ve built your home on shifting sand.
Photo © Unsplash/Matthew T Rader