A Heart of Preservation

“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.” (Ps 25:21 AV)

What a request!  David is surrendered to the will of God.  He so desperately wants his character to preserve him.  Yet, he knows he cannot do so without the ministry of God in his life.  This is the cause for the second half of the verse.  If David waits on (serves) the LORD, then his uprightness and integrity will preserve him.  Every child of God who desires to walk with God cannot do so unless he or she has a genuine and sincere desire for godly character.  David was not perfect.  But what separates David from all others is his constant battle with himself.  Even when he failed miserably, he did not tarry his confession.  As soon as the Holy Spirit dealt with him, he went to God for forgiveness and reconciliation.  What we want to consider this morning is one little word.  Preserve.

My sweet Lisa and I had to get a new refrigerator recently.  We are really pleased with it.  My sweet darling cleaned it out and lined the inside with all sorts of things to keep the food fresh and the inside clean.  Then we had the exciting adventure of stocking the new frig.  Off we went to the grocers.  Going down the cheese aisle, I spotted smoked gouda.  I love aromatic cheese.  Smoked gouda is right up there.  In the new frig, my prized purchase went.  Grating it in my eggs is awesome.  However, I noticed my lovely gouda did not take to the frig all that well.  It was only about ten days with it that little furys began to take up residence on my cheese.  Not wanting to waste this lovely cheese, I scraped off the cultures and it anyway.  Each time I went to use the cheese, I scraped off new cultures.  After a while, it was way too much and the growth way too deep to overcome.  As wonderful as our new frig was, it could not preserve my awesome cheese.  I had to throw out what was left and it broke my heart to do so.

I think we live in a generation that is satisfied with whatever passes.  We are not obsessed with the best.  We tolerate imperfection.  We allow the mold to grow and it is ok.  As long as it is usable, then we are satisfied.  David wanted to be preserved.  This does not mean merely keeping from corruption.  To preserve something is to keep it in its best form.  Our spiritual life should consist of a goal to be transformed into Christlikeness.  Once God has given us a victory, it should stay that way.  David wanted to be preserved in his integrity.  He was laser-focused on his faults.  He worked hard to be right with God.  His life was defined by a struggle with the old David versus the new David.  He wanted his God to be pleased with him.  When He was not, it bothered him.  I feel as though many saints are rotting away.  We have come to a place where we accept what we once would not.  We feel it is ok to be a bit worldly.  We think it is acceptable to fail and live that way.  Not David.  Nor should we either.