Righteous and Blessed

Righteous and Blessed

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Psalms 1:1-3
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
NASU

Good Morning! Today we are going to get into Psalms and possibly delve into the entire book, but definitely parts of it. Chapter 1-verses 1-3 really describe the godly person.

Discussing first verse 1.

1. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…... Have you been able to walk in the counsel of righteous people all your life? If so, God deems you blessed. Walking in the counsel of someone means to walk according to that person’s advice. I hope and pray all of you have followed good and wise advice all your life.
Continuing with 1. ................Nor stand in the path of sinners. The blessed person doesn’t stand with the sinners, doesn’t follow their path. The blessed person doesn’t copy their behavior and doesn’t compromise his standards by associating with the sinners. They are not the blessed person’s compatriots.
Continuing some more with 1........................Nor sit in the seat of scoffers. The blessed person doesn’t go around mocking and scoffing at people because the blessed person knows where his blessings come from.
The blessed person is not proud, unlike the scoffer who thinks he knows it all. The scoffer turns up his nose at those who do good or right. The blessed person won’t participate in that.
Does this describe you? If not, it is time to learn how to be like that.
What does the blessed person do, and what does the blessed person delight in?

Psalms 1:2
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Therein is the key. Delighting in the law of the Lord–meditating both day and night. That is not once a week, or twice a week–but twice a day! Yes, the blessed person finds God’s Word, God’s laws, delightful. He enjoys getting into the Word of God for he finds blessing there every time. If he isn’t finding it, it is because his heart is focused on the wrong thing. The blessed person will focus on the Word of God in order to apply it to his or her life.
Do you realize that when you do that you are really bringing yourself much closer to God? And really, that is the goal everyone should aim for, TO GET CLOSER TO GOD. The closer you are to Him, the more you know what His will is in a situation, the more secure you are, you know His love even more, and you can love others even more. And just think, we are getting closer to the day when we will be stepping over that barrier in order to be in His presence constantly, continually, eternally. That will be a great day. So why not get closer to God while you are here. Make sure you have enough oil in your lamp so that unlike the virgins who ran out of oil, you have plenty so that you can go in to the marriage supper of the Lamb when He arrives. Now let’s go on to verse 3.

Psalms 1:3
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. NASU

Do you want to be fruitful? Well the results of verse 2 are listed in verse 3.

The psalmist compares a blessed person to a tree. The blessed person who delights in God’s Word will be like a tree planted by rivers of water. When a tree is planted by a river, I guarantee you it is a lush tree. And as the verse says, it will bring forth his fruit in his season. So when fruit is due to come, it appears. Then there is the statement—his leaf will not wither. In other words his sustenance and covering will not dry up and wither and disappear. You see leaves serve as a means of obtaining food for trees and other plants and they also serve as a shade or covering. The blessed person will continue to have sufficiency in all things. And the last part of that verse—what so ever he does shall prosper. Yes, prosperity is a result also. And what is real prosperity? A life filled with God’s peace, joy, righteousness, holiness, faith, and most especially love for God and neighbor.
What are you seeking? Are you seeking to be the blessed person or are you seeking just the material goods of this world? Remember what Jesus said?

Matthew 6:33
33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. NASU
If you seek His kingdom first–then what you need will be given you. And that person will bear fruit.
John 15:5
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. NASU

That fits in the analogy of the psalmist, doesn’t it? Today and this weekend, meditate on these three verses. Study them, dwell on them, dwell in them. You will find yourself blessed in ways you didn’t realize you needed. Love, the Good News Lady