Psalm 15 - NKJV 1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? 2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; 3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Survival of the Fittest The "question" David poses is a good one. Who has the right to stay in the presence of God in his holy hill? In another Psalm he says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me." (Psalms 66:18) To "regard iniquity" means to see it is there, to be aware of sin's presence in you life and do nothing about it. That sin hinders our prayers and hinders the presence of the Lord in our lives. "In God's presence is fullness of joy." (Psalms 16:11) We lose his presence and we lose his joy when we allow sin to ferment in our hearts. A Thought: Note how often the sin that hinders the Lord's presence is related to words of our mouth. James 3:5-8 5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Psalms 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. New King James Bible, Bible Gateway Index Our Devotional Index