September 08, 2020

Bible Reading – Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1-3 KJV
[1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. [3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Within the first three verses of Psalms, we find the key to living blessed and prosperous lives, which is something everyone desires. Simply put, blessings, though not always physical, often come as a result of decisions we make, so we must choose wisely.

The Psalmist teaches that the one who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly is a blessed man. The man who allows the ungodly to have influence in his life, will find himself taking a stand for things that are not the passion or heartbeat of God. Those who do not listen to the advice of ungodly people will find themselves blessed while those who allow ungodly influence in their lives tend to hinder God’s blessings. This seemingly simple advice is often so hard to heed in the day of television, internet, and social media. How often do I allow myself to be influenced by things I see or hear from those I know to be ungodly? I often allow myself to be influenced several hours each week by the ungodly as I watch and listen to opinions and advice on every outlet, yet too often I focus so little time and energy on being influenced by the true wisdom of God’s Word. Too often, I allow media to be, dare I say, exponentially more influential in my life than God’s very Words.

The recipe for blessing however is to shun the ungodly influence and to delight and meditate in Scripture. When we allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to be the dominant Influence in our lives, we make decisions that follow the heartbeat of God resulting in God’s blessings. Meditating day and night on the Word of God will influence us to be a witness to others rather than a combatant for things that do not matter in eternity. Being a spiritual witness and planting that spiritual seed will yield a far more fruitful and prosperous return than anything we may get from the world.

True blessings and prosperity may not always fit the mold of our imaginations, but God’s blessings truly are far more desirable. As the song reminds us, blessings come in ways we don’t always expect, and we sometimes must alter our way of thinking to line up with God’s way. For we all truly want to be blessed, even if we don’t know what the blessings are going to look like.

— Eli Faulds