10 Character Traits of Those Who Abide with God

David wrote Psalm 15 to teach us all what character traits are typical of someone who abides with God.

People with these traits are people God likes to invite over to His house and hang out with. 🙂

I did a copy-and-paste of Psalm 15 (New King James Version), then numbered 10 character traits, and added my comments in parentheses:

LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

  1. He who walks uprightly,
    (Uprightly means an upstanding person with exemplary character in all he does)
  2. And works righteousness,
    (Righteousness is the focus in this trait, but I think the key word here is “works”. Jesus cleansed us from all sin on the cross (those of us who repented of our sins and accepted Jesus’ salvation work on our behalf), so technically we are righteous before God, but we still have a tendency occasionally to be unrighteous so we have to work at living righteously.
  3. And speaks the truth in his heart;
    (God loves truth because He is truth and His Word (the Bible) is truth. A person with character lives out that truth in their words and actions. To do that, we have to have truth in our inner most being…our heart…because out of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34), and out of the heart flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). We need to read the Bible frequently and make sure it’s in our heart…our innermost being. We also use God’s Word to wash out the garbage that can collect in our heart from the world. Ephesians 5:26)
  4. He who does not backbite with his tongue,
    (Does not say bad things about others, or gossip)
  5. Nor does evil to his neighbor,
    (…and doesn’t repay evil with evil either)
  6. Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; (In whose eyes a vile person is despised,)
    (Reproach is the opposite of approach. It means to express disappointment or disapproval. Don’t chase people away by your words or evil deeds, but be someone people gravitate to because you are gracious, kind, others-centered, loving, you praise others, and are a joy to be around. Don’t give a reasons for others to despise you badly)
  7. But he honors those who fear the LORD;
    (Honoring God in all you say and do. Also, you honor (esteem, praise, serve) other Christians who are devoted to God)
  8. He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
    (Do the right thing even if it hurts. Be truthful even if others aren’t. Be a person whose yes means yes, and no is no. A person who is steadfast and trustworthy, not wishy-washy. If you swear to do something: do it.)
  9. He who does not put out his money at usury,
    (Don’t loan someone money or something and charge high interest, or maybe charge no interest at all.  Don’t do something for someone and expect them to pay you back. A person with good character helps others and expects nothing in return)
  10. Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
    (Don’t do something that will hurt innocent people, even if you are paid or promoted to do so. Don’t bring false accusations toward someone to help out someone else, or to make yourself look good.  Don’t “climb the ladder of success” by stepping on others.

He who does these things shall never be moved.
(The word “moved” also means “shaken”. Maintaining these 10 character traits will help you be a solid Christian who is well grounded and can stand firm when people or circumstances try to rattle you or crumble around you. Psalm 16:8-11, and Romans 8:28)

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