I tend to be directionally challenged.
When I first started college, I often found myself following others around before I myself was sure of where I was going. This method worked quite well, as long as my friends knew where to go. But if they themselves got lost or changed destinations, I was stuck.
Psalm 1 describes the paths one may choose to take. It starts with the crossroads, and ends with the result of those paths.
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2, NKJV)
Psalm 1 presents a tough case–when others live one lifestyle, how do we determine whether we should follow? As verse two states, the crowd need not guide us. Rather, we should be driven by God’s Word, counting it more valuable than what the world runs after. This concept is expanded in Joshua 1:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8, NKJV)
Focusing on the Bible allows us to walk in the way God has created for us, in obedience to His laws. The result of taking this path?
“He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. ” (Psalm 1:3, NKJV)
The result of obedience and delight in God’s Word is we bear fruit like God intended us to (Gal 5:22-23). Jeremiah has a similar passage:
“For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:8, NKJV)
God’s way is not more obviously appealing than the popular way, but it is secure. When the heat of hardships comes, the Lord sustains us so that we not only survive, but can also live in His fullness and still produce His fruit.
(4) The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. (5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (6) For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalm 1:4-6, NKJV)
And what of the other way? In the end, it is not so grand, and will only fade away. It is God’s way that endures, and He knows those who take it.
How can we determine the path we are walking? How can God’s Word be our map on a practical level?
Comment with thoughts and ideas!
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