Monday, October 13, 2014

The Company We Keep

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;but his delight is in the law of the LORD,and on his law he meditates day and night.(Psalm 1:1-2)
If we truly feared God as we should (Prov. 1:7; Isa. 66:2), these first two verses alone should to be motivation enough for us to meditate on His Word throughout the day. Yet even so, God graciously gives us practical motivation throughout His Word.
But as for these first two verses, there a couple of key words to notice. The first is "Blessed," which generally means "happy." Another way of translating it could be "Happy is the man...whose delight is in the law of the Lord.
It's not always natural to feel "happy" about meditating on the Word of God - especially day and night. It should be, mind you - to our new selves, "created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph. 4:24). But to our natural selves, the selves with the remnant of that sinful nature, it is not a delight at all, but a tremendous burden. That part of us rejects the law of God at the outset.
The man whose delight is in God's Word is truly a happy man, a blessed man. And that's the other word worth mentioning in this post - delight. This Psalm 1 man, who is able to avoid being taken in by the counsel and wicked ways of unbelievers, he doesn't simply do so by tolerating the Law of God. He delights in it! It's no wonder that he is able persistently to meditate on it day and night; his delight is so great that he would rather not do anything else.
If your delight is in God's Word, then you are a happy and blessed person! You are so satisfied and content in the presence of the Almighty that you meditate on His Word day and night rather than keeping close company with those who would keep you away from our Savior.But bear in mind, if your delight is not in the Law of God, then pay urgent attention to your lifestyle. The Psalmist only gives us two options: we are either walking with sinners or delighting in the joy of our God. Which option are you choosing? (Liberty University Connections)

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