Thinking through Psalm 1

This morning Psalm One was covered in church. Looking at my Bible notes in various study Bibles I wanted to add in theirs and my notes.

Psalm 1 begins with "Blessed is the man", which first of all is understood to mean man or woman. But 'blessed' means beyond 'happy', which was news to me. R. C. Sproul says it's "to enjoy well-being in every area of life". A much more encompassing idea of joy all through out. What blesses us? Walking not in the counsel of the wicked, not standing in the way of sinners nor sitting with coffers. That is progressive. We don't go near where sin exists or lives, nor stop a while and definitely don't get comfortable there! Why is this so bad? We aren't talking about going to evangelize, but how we spend our own time and lives. We dont recreate or relax in their presence. Sin can deceive and easily tempt, so a wise, happy person will avoid the situation(s).

So where do we lounge and in what do we take pleasure? The law of the Lord. The law here is a broad term to mean the instruction of the Lord. We spend our life learning of and listening to His will, which is revealed in the Word, the whole Bible for us. We meditate on the Word, not with our legs crossed and palms open humming, but thinking about God's Word, what He meant then, what it means now, and how to apply it to me.

The result? We become like a tree, planted, watered, fruitful. The water is a stream, as in a stream of living water, always renewing and refreshing. And we're productive, yielding fruit of the Spirit to bless and nourish others. And the leaves do not wither, dry out, become brittle or die but remain soft, pliable, colorful and fresh. All signs of good health! Therefore, all we do will prosper. We are able, capable and successful nourished by the Word of God.

But not so with the wicked, those apart from God. They are like the useless, dead chaff swept away by the wind.

It's hard for many people to accept that that this is God's world. The design is how we spend this life determines how we spend eternity. Anyone in Christ is righteous. Anyone who refuses Christ is wicked. And one day all will stand before the Righteous Judge. The wicked will not be able to stand under the scrutiny among the righteous and they will perish.

The righteous are not righteous on their own, nor simply because they know the Word of God. They are declared righteous only by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as their Savior Who has paid for their wicked sinfulness. It is available to all who believe. I invite you to confess your own sinfulness to God and accept Christ's payment for your sins. Come into life everlasting and walk in the paths of righteousness.