I know that I have been working through Philippians 1 in my blogs. However, recently I issued a challenge through the Grapevine and at church concerning the book of Psalms about preaching and blogging about favorite passages. Well, I wanted to start honoring that. So here is part of the first installment. Realize that this is the first installment and by no means an exhaustive one, so you may hear a sermon on it as well.
When our kids were young we memorized passages of Scripture together as a family. This is one of those. I would encourage you to do the same. There is nothing like having access to God’s Word anytime, anywhere. I know that you can pull it up on your phone, but what if you don’t have service? Romans 12:2 tells us to renew our mind and putting the Word of God in your mind is a good way to renew your mind. This is an awesome passage to use to renew your mind.
Psalm 1:1 (GW) “Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers.” As an introduction to this passage let me start off by state this, the United States Declaration of Independence proclaims that God has endowed all men with “unalienable Right” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Sadly, the pursuit of happiness is the futile quest of far too many of us. We squander our precious time and resources, make poor choices, and often ruin our lives and others’ lives searching for the treasure of happiness in all the wrong places.
Where can happiness be found? The simple yet powerful truth of God’s Word is that true happiness is a gift of God, one of His very special blessings. This wonderful gift is ours if we are rightly related to Him and if we walk in obedience to His commands. Psalm 1 is the major passageway to the rest of the psalms. Commentator Derek Kidner declares that “it stands here as a faithful doorkeeper, confronting those who would be in ‘the congregation of the righteous’ (v.5) with the basic choice that alone gives reality to worship.” At the very beginning of Psalms, the Jewish hymnal, a vital truth is proclaimed: we can only truly worship God if we have chosen to walk in His way and in the light of His Word.
The bible is central to all worship. God has revealed Himself, His glorious plan of salvation, and His will for every one of us in His inspired Word. Only if we delight in His Holy Word can we truly enter His presence. Only if we have chosen the path of righteousness can we have an audience with Him. Only if we meditate on His Word can we fully understand the ways of God and worship Him in truth. Anyone can be inspired and comforted by reading the psalms, but we can only experience an intimate relationship with Him if we love Him and obey His life-giving instruction. Take a look at John 14:21; 15:10, 14. Such a relationship gives us the liberty to pour out our hearts to God.
Before entering fully into the psalms, we must stop at the door of Psalm 1 and make a decision to walk in the Lord’s way, delight in His Word, and meditate on His Word. Only then can we be gloriously blessed in the presence of the Lord. This is, HOW TO BE HAPPY AND BLESSED IN LIFE, 1:1-6.
In the next blog we will start to tear a part the passage verse by verse. Let me encourage you to start memorizing and meditating on this passage. Start seeking the wisdom of the Lord and not man’s. Start thinking about what kind of tree you might be. Start thinking about what stream you are planted by. What kind of joy are your truly seeking? As we go through this particular Psalm and dig into the different verses let’s grow together and see what the Lord says to all of us. I would encourage you to leave comments about what the Lord is showing and teaching you as we grow together.
Love and blessings to all.
Pastor Rob
