February 26, 2023

Psalm 1: 1-6 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked . . . (NIV) 

You’re the average of the five people you associate with the most.*

There is a lesson for us in every verse of the first Psalm. Let’s look. 

1. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. People come into our lives uninvited and unwelcome. We don’t get to choose our family members or our co-workers or our fellow church-members. We do have freedom of choice when it comes to whose advice we listen to, whose company we keep in our leisure time, and whose behavior we emulate. 

2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. Reading God’s word should not be just an item on our to-do list. If we delight in it, we will make it a priority. Read it, meditate on it, own it. 

3. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. A tree growing on the river bank is always close to its source of refreshment. When we remain in the refreshment of God’s word, we will be spiritually fruitful and healthy – success on God’s terms. 

4. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. The wicked have no roots and thus no connection to the source of sustenance and strength. 

5. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. If not there, where will they be? Alone. 

6. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. The way of the righteous lasts; the way of the wicked doesn’t. 

Choose your companions wisely. Delight in and meditate on the word of God. Stay on the path that leads to everlasting life. Be prosperous!

God’s Word reveals the right road.*