I'm sure many of you are like me and at some point you've been driving down the road when all of a sudden, your GPS goes out and the line showing you where to turn just stops leaving you forced to make a decision as to which way to turn? The choice you make, may lead you straight to where you want to go. Or it may lead you on a long costly detour possibly even preventing you from reaching your destination. Our life is much like a road that we are journeying along with twists and turns, and the choices we make will determine where we are headed. Psalm 1 tells us about two very different paths with two very different destinations.
Psalm 1:1-3 - "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, not sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."
This blessed, happy, joyful, man does NOT walk with ungodly people overhearing their advice, nor does he stand in the pathway and meeting places of sinners, nor does he sit in the company of those who mock truth. Look at the degenerating pathway these actions can lead you down as they go from bad to worse. This does not mean that a blessed man avoids sinners altogether, rather that he does not closely associate with them. We've all heard the saying, "If you lay with dogs, you're going to get fleas." Well if you only pet the dog, you're a lot less likely to get fleas than if you curl up inside his doghouse. We will be around sinners, but we must surround ourselves with Christ-like people if we want to be blessed.
So what does the blessed man do? He delights in the Lord's law (instruction). Now I'm sure that hardly any of us like receiving instructions. But what if it was someone we really wanted to hear from. Like for me if it was one of the Spartan or Ninja Warrior greats? Or for some people a celebrity off Dancing With The Stars or The Voice? When we love and admire the instructor, we become much more enthralled in what they have to say don't we? The blessed man loves God's instruction in His Word the Bible that way. He longs for the life improving advice and counsel found inside this book.
He also meditates on His Word "day and night." Meditation here isn't some weird religion where you say a bunch of "ooohhmmmmms" with weird music and poses. It's a word translated in Isaiah 31 referring to a lioness "meditating" over her prey. She's growling over it, announcing that this life giving substance is hers. Then she begins to consume it and be strengthened. This is what happens to the blessed man as he reads and meditates on God's Word regularly.
Then we see that the blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of water. This is significant because in this region of Israel there were wet and dry seasons. If trees were unable to survive the dry season, they died. But this tree was planted so that it had a consistent water supply allowing it to grow and be nourished constantly. In your spiritual life, where are you planted? Do you read God's word regularly, pray regularly, attend a small group and church regularly? Or is the only time you seem to grow at a concert, camp, or revival? Don't put yourself in a position to where you're hanging on to life in hope of rain, stay near the waters so that you can constantly grow in Christ.
Psalm 1:1-3 - "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, not sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."
This blessed, happy, joyful, man does NOT walk with ungodly people overhearing their advice, nor does he stand in the pathway and meeting places of sinners, nor does he sit in the company of those who mock truth. Look at the degenerating pathway these actions can lead you down as they go from bad to worse. This does not mean that a blessed man avoids sinners altogether, rather that he does not closely associate with them. We've all heard the saying, "If you lay with dogs, you're going to get fleas." Well if you only pet the dog, you're a lot less likely to get fleas than if you curl up inside his doghouse. We will be around sinners, but we must surround ourselves with Christ-like people if we want to be blessed.
So what does the blessed man do? He delights in the Lord's law (instruction). Now I'm sure that hardly any of us like receiving instructions. But what if it was someone we really wanted to hear from. Like for me if it was one of the Spartan or Ninja Warrior greats? Or for some people a celebrity off Dancing With The Stars or The Voice? When we love and admire the instructor, we become much more enthralled in what they have to say don't we? The blessed man loves God's instruction in His Word the Bible that way. He longs for the life improving advice and counsel found inside this book.
He also meditates on His Word "day and night." Meditation here isn't some weird religion where you say a bunch of "ooohhmmmmms" with weird music and poses. It's a word translated in Isaiah 31 referring to a lioness "meditating" over her prey. She's growling over it, announcing that this life giving substance is hers. Then she begins to consume it and be strengthened. This is what happens to the blessed man as he reads and meditates on God's Word regularly.
Then we see that the blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of water. This is significant because in this region of Israel there were wet and dry seasons. If trees were unable to survive the dry season, they died. But this tree was planted so that it had a consistent water supply allowing it to grow and be nourished constantly. In your spiritual life, where are you planted? Do you read God's word regularly, pray regularly, attend a small group and church regularly? Or is the only time you seem to grow at a concert, camp, or revival? Don't put yourself in a position to where you're hanging on to life in hope of rain, stay near the waters so that you can constantly grow in Christ.
Comments
Post a Comment