LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

 

 Does this describe you today? I just feel so blessed and filled with joy this morning and wanted to write the blessing we have as Christians. Psalm 1 introduces the entire book of Psalms – I know I have a keen sense of the obvious! Read the entire Psalm and you will see it contrasts the only two kinds of people recognized by God; each has their own particular principles they live by. The godly are characterized by righteousness, love, obedience to God’s Word and are separated from the world system. The ungodly represent those who desire to live as the world does, seeks the world’s counsel not God’s, they mock God and the way He desires people to live.

 

I want you to notice how the Psalmist shows how evil draws people to it. The “counsel of the ungodly” refers to one seeking the advice from people who encourage them to do evil; this counsel encourages people to not be concerned with righteous living nor being obedient to God. The David Jeremiah Study Bible notes show what happens when people seek advice from the ungodly, “The ungodly move from the counsel to walking on the path (that would be the broad way) to settling into the seat as they embrace an evil way of life”.

 

The righteous can be distinguished from the wicked or unrighteous by their lifestyle and the people they like to be around as well as by the things they “delight in”. The Psalmist makes clear that no person can experience God’s blessing without turning from harmful associations and be firmly rooted in God’s Word. Two very important thoughts come from the first two verses, 1) those who turn from evil are blessed (not as the world defines blessing), and 2) being blessed comes from building their lives around the instructions found in God’s Word. The notes in The Life in the Spirit Study Bible expand on this, “They genuinely take pleasure in God and His beauty and pattern their lives according to His Word. What motivates their actions is love for God and His Word. As they draw life from God, they live fruitbearing lives (v.3)”.

 

It takes time and effort to read/study/meditate on God’s Word. But it is necessary in order to live as God wants us to. It takes a desire to Know God better and to know His great love for us. That motivates me to want to take time each day to do this in order to shape my thinking, attitude, and actions.  Am I perfect? Of course not! Do I make mistakes? Every day! Yes, I have plenty of time each day to spend reading/studying, meditating and writing this blog. But I have been doing this for many years! Find the time! Apply God’s Word to your life and see the blessing poured into your life.  Verse 3 tell us that those who faithfully seek God and His Word find life – spiritual life, eternal life in God’s kingdom. It does not say we will never experience problems or failure or tragedy. It tells us the godly person will know God’s will and His favor.

 

So, I am incredibly blessed this morning and filled with joy this morning knowing that I am a child of God, walking down a narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom and my “delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law I meditates day and night”.