Message from Scripture: 8/29/2020

Today’s message from Scripture is Psa. 1:1; “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.”

The first psalm considered in the book of Psalms sets a positive tone for what the book is all about, which is what a relationship with God is like. Here the psalmist describes what a blessed life is. The word for blessed is always used to refer to people and is never used of God, as it is what only God can offer us, and not what He needs from us. This term is also used to describe a person or nation who enjoys a relationship with God. So, we know from the start to be blessed is something God offers us by being connected with Him.

What is true of a man blessed by God? He doesn’t walk by the advice the wicked give. He doesn’t take his stand in the way sinners live. He doesn’t sit in the company of those who scoff, or mock, God. Do you notice the progression sin brings to life? First, your walking, then standing, then sitting. It starts with the wicked, then sinners, then those who openly ridicule God and all that has to do with him. This is the way sin works, getting progressively worse and drawing people deeper and deeper into its web of deceit and destruction. To avoid this lifestyle is to be blessed, as sin only offers problems and despair.

Instead, if one delights, not in sin, but on the law of God, and meditates on it continually, you can have wisdom for life and a lifestyle that allows one to prosper because God is the integral element to life. This is the choice we have in how to think and live. The conclusion is, “The LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Psa. 1:6). Let’s choose to be blessed, not cursed. Let’s choose life, not condemnation. Let’s choose God, not sin. Make today a great day by practicing these principles. God bless.

Robert