Psalm 15:1-5

What are the marks of a “God follower?”  David points out some of the basic qualities that God desires to see in our lives.  These qualities are the ones that permit us to be in fellowship with God and find refuge and protection from His judgments as well as the attacks of the world.  It is important for us to recognize that David is not suggesting some sort of salvation based on works.  He is stating that God blesses these character qualities with perfect fellowship and protection.  Our salvation is based on our faith in the work of Christ on the cross.  However, believers who do not follow the standard of Scripture find themselves out of fellowship with God and leave themselves vulnerable to chastisement from God and the attacks of Satan and the world in which we live.  This is certainly not an all-inclusive list of the things, but it certainly deals with two key areas that we must build into our character.

WE MUST WATCH OUR MOUTH: James tells us that if we can control our mouths we can be perfect.  David seems to see the words we use as a very clear indicator of our character.  We must learn to use our words to build others up instead of tearing them down.  Our words should be used to speak out against evil and promote that which is true and holy.  Above all we must be honest with our speech.  God has given us a great gift in speech and He wants us to use it for His glory and to bless others as we proclaim the truth of His Word.  Unfortunately we often use our mouths to hurt others brag about ourselves and as instruments of deception.  God wants us to be bold and gracious as we use our speech to promote the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

WE MUST WATCH OUR MONEY: Paul warns us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  Certainly, we can tell a lot about the character of a person by looking at the ledger in his checkbook.  God calls us to use the resources with which He as entrusted us to further the work of His kingdom and to bless the people who are around us.  We should not take advantage of others by charging interest to those who are truly in need.  Nor should we look to increase our wealth through means that are dishonest.  God has called blessed us with funds that He expects us to use as a means of blessing others.  Greed and the love of money have no place in the heart of a follower of God.  There is no amount of money in the world that can make up for the blessings of fellowship with God or buy protection from God.