Practical Holiness 101

A short Psalm identifies the fundamental principles
of a holy life.

From a sermon by Arthur O’Hare

Recently my wife was reading aloud from a devotional book before bedtime. The Old Testament passage for that date was Psalm 101. As Diane read, I thought to myself, “We are dealing with the basics here.”

I work at a college. The courses offered at most colleges are numbered, and if you want to learn the basics of any topic, you start the sequence with the 101 class: Economics 101, American History 101, or English Composition 101. That is the first in the series, the place where you begin. As I listened to the words of Psalm 101, it occurred to me that it was good, basic admonition about how to live a life that is pure and holy before God. You might call it “Practical Holiness 101.” It contains the fundamentals of what it means to walk with God.

Thank God for His mercy

The Psalmist begins by saying, “I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.” David is telling us: Think about God and all that He has done for you, and thank Him for His mercy. No doubt you can look back on your life and see times when God has helped you. Perhaps you asked God to see you through as you faced a certain circumstance, and He heard and answered your prayer. As you look back, you say, “Thank You, God, that You were there. You sustained me and gave me grace in that distressing situation.”

Possibly you can also think of occasions when things were happening so quickly that you did not have time to pray. Yet later, you could look back and see that God stood by your side through the whole situation. Very likely there have also been times in your life when, whether you realized it or not, God’s hand of protection was over you, keeping you from danger. When you think about that, it is only natural to say, “I am going to sing unto God. I am going to praise Him for His mercy. I am going to tell of His goodness and care of my life.” Such thanksgiving wells up in your heart, and you think, God, You have done so much for me. Isn’t there something I can do for You?

Behave wisely

There is. In the second verse, the Psalmist says, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.” When we are children, we have people who help us behave. You might recall your mother or father instructing you along those lines. My mother had a certain stance that she took when she was admonishing me in this area. With one hand on her hip, and the other pointing at me, she would say, “Now, you behave!” I am a father now, and I have found myself doing the same thing. Once the words are out of your mouth, you watch to make sure that the child follows through and does what is right. As time goes on, however, the child matures, and there comes a time when a parent is not there to instruct him anymore and the responsibility becomes a personal one. As we mature spiritually, do we have the desire down on the inside, for the love of God and in gratitude for what He has done, to monitor ourselves and behave “wisely in a perfect way” ?

Do what is right

The Psalmist continues, “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” They say your house is your castle—the place where you can just be yourself. When you go to work or to school, you try to be agreeable, kind, thoughtful, and patient. When you come home, however, do you think that you can relax and do whatever suits you? The Psalmist says, “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” That means when nobody else is looking, when no one is there to tell you how to behave, will you walk with a perfect heart then? Will you do what you know is right? Is there a desire in your own heart to do what is right out of love for God and not because someone is watching you?

Be careful what you watch

In verse three, the Psalmist says, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.” In Dallas, Oregon, where we live, we have a supermarket. As you go in, you walk through the video rental section. The posters and signs in that area are made to attract attention. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent in researching which colors and which images will have the most drawing power. Some of those pictures are wicked. They are twisted. They are saturated with innuendo and suggestive statements and sometimes with out-and-out depravity. I do not rent videos like that; I would be afraid to put that kind of stuff into my mind. I have heard of people who have taken the verse, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes,” and put it on their television to remind them to be careful of what they put before their eyes. You see, there is no such thing as a harmless sin. A person may think, What I watch is my business. It doesn’t hurt anyone else. Yet, when we choose to look at things that put wrong thoughts and images into our minds, we are veering off course.

Guard against bitterness

The Psalmist continues by saying, “I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” It is a sad fact of life that sometimes people turn aside from the Gospel. It happens. We pray that the Lord will restore those who have erred from the way. Thank God that He is willing to do so. Sometimes, though, people who turn aside are quick to share bitterness. If you are going to maintain a holy life before God, you must watch out for this. You must say to yourself, “I am not going to let bitterness get inside of me. I am not going to open my ears to that type of thing. I will not let it take hold in my life. I don’t have time to entertain doubts and dissension.”

Choose your friends wisely

Next we find these words: “A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.” Who are your friends? Who do you associate with? Be wary of a close connection with people who do not know how to control themselves—who give themselves over to excess and an unrestrained lifestyle. It is easy to be dragged down when you start associating with people who have different values than yours. We all mingle daily with those who are not saved, but if we start making them our close friends and spending our free time with them, it will rub off. We will pick up mannerisms, personality quirks, gestures, and in time, maybe even ways of thinking and doing. So we want to be careful to make our friends among those who are like-minded in the faith, those who love the Lord and appreciate the blessings of God.

Be careful what you say

“Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off.” What do you say about your friends and associates when you are not with them? Are you careful to be unfailingly kind and gracious in your speech? One of the things that will set you apart and make you a light in a darkened world is that you will not put up with gossip or slander. That’s a basic in Practical Holiness 101.

Follow the right examples

“Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.” Who are we watching? Who are we patterning our lives after? In another place in the Psalms we read, “Mark the perfect man and behold the upright.” We want to pay attention to the testimonies and the lives of the faithful saints of God. Observe how God has blessed them, and purpose to follow their example.

Turn away from wickedness

David ends this Psalm by saying, “I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all the wicked doers from the city of the Lord.” Is he telling us to take justice into our own hands and to wipe out anyone who is not living a righteous life? No, that is not his point, but we are to turn away from anything that is wicked, anything that would deter us from following God.

Practical Holiness 101 does not come easily. This is not a course you can pass without effort. You must make a conscious decision regarding what you are going to do with your life, how you are going to behave, and who you are going to follow. However, if you purpose in your heart to walk with God and be faithful to Him, God will be faithful to you. He will guide you in your desire for holiness, and instruct you in what you ought and ought not to do. He will correct your mistakes and refresh your memory concerning lessons that need reinforcement. And He will encourage you to continue on.

Have you signed up for God’s course in Practical Holiness 101? It is a subject you do not want to miss!

Arthur O'Hare is a minister of the Apostolic Faith Church in Medford, Oregon.