Psalm 1:1-3 (GW)
1 Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers.
2 Rather, he delights in the teachings of the LORD and reflects on his teachings day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams— a tree that produces fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. He succeeds in everything he does.
4 Wicked people are not like that. Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.
5 That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.
6 The LORD knows the way of righteous people, but the way of wicked people will end.
We live in a world full of information. Today we have access to more information faster than any other generation that ever lived. If we have a question all we need to do is Google it. If we want to know want to know what our friends are doing almost at any time during the day, just check FB. If you want to break up with that girl, but you don’t want to face her, text her. You can go online and check what is happening in real time in the Middle East, Russia, England, or in the White House. If you need advice all you have to do is ask Jeeves.
The one thing that we don’t do a lot of today is look to the Word of God in seeking information. Even with all the information of the World Wide Web, we have gotten further and further away from the Word of God. There are so many ways that we can access God’s Word today. You can get it online, you can get it on your phone, and you can find the Bible probably on any bookshelf in any building you go in to today. Yet it is becoming one of the most ignored books of our day. Even though it is still the number one seller it is being ignored. When we need advice we seek out Oprah, Dr. Phil, and even Jerry Springer. I struggle with why we don’t seek out the One who created all things.
This Psalm tells us that happiness comes when we DON’T follow the advice of wicked people. When we DON’T take the path of sinners. When we DON’T join company of the mockers. Have you watched their shows lately? Have you heard their advice? Is it following Biblical principles? What if we followed the writings of the Lord? What if we delighted in God’s Word? What if we read and applied God’s Word? What if we memorized and meditated on God’s Word as much as we did on football? What if we memorized and meditated on God’s Word as much as we did on the local news? What if we memorized and meditated on God’s Word as much as we did on Dancing with the Stars? Do you think our lives would be different?
Well, according to this passage they would be. If we would delight in God’s Word we are fed on the nourishment of the Lord day and night. We produce fruit in season. We succeed in everything that we do. We will stand through our trials. Those words right there ought to make you shout!!!!!! That ought to give you hope! That ought to give you grounds for praise! To know that IF you get into God’s Word and let His Word get into you, then whatever you do will succeed. IF you get into God’s Word and let His Word get into you, then whatever you go through you will make it through. That’s shouting time right there!
But there’s one more thing that I want to point out and it’s found in the last first. If you walk with the Lord, then He KNOWS you. This passage says that He knows the way of the righteous, that’s YOU! As a child of God (THAT’S YOU) He knows you. He knows all about you. He knows what you are going through. He knows where you are. He knows what you need. He knows how to bless you. He knows how much water the tree needs. He knows the passage of Scripture to send you to. He knows you. Because He knows you, He will sustain you and keep you. He will provide for you. He will protect you.
The last part of that verse is the great promise to me. The way of the wicked will end. They will come to an end. In other words, Christ wins, because He wins, I win. You see, I’m in Him and He is in me that means that I walk in His victory. What He did on the cross over 2,000 years ago when He died, what He did when He walked out of the tomb, crushed the serpent’s head, and it gave me the victory. He has the keys of death and hell. He has unlocked the chains of sin that are holding me down. Because of that, I can be free today. The enemies that I have, I pray for them, but in the end they will be crushed. The people that come against me, they aren’t my enemies, and it is satan and all the demons of hell. All the principalities of the air, but that is for another blog. For now, I’m just shouting in knowing that IF I walk with the Lord, then He knows me and the wicked will end.
So in closing today, do you know the Lord? Are you walking with the Lord? Where do you seek your counsel? There is no better place that God’s Word. He created this place. He knows you better than you know yourself. Why not look to Him today? Until next time,
Pastor Rob
