Day 38
Today we return to the Probe it method. Here we read this entire Psalm again but this time we are intending to dig a bit deeper. So we will read and then ask ourselves the following questions, or any other questions that might come to your heart personally.
IS THERE A SIN TO CONFESS? IS THERE A PROMISE TO CLAIM? IS THERE AN ATTITUDE TO CHANGE? IS THERE A COMMAND TO OBEY? IS THERE AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW? IS THERE A PRAYER TO PRAY? IS THERE AN ERROR TO AVOID? IS THERE A TRUTH TO BELIEVE? IS THERE SOMETHING TO PRAISE GOD FOR?Psalm 1:1-6 NKJV
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. 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. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
As I ponder over this passage again, keeping these questions before me a few things surface in my heart and mind. The first thing I see is a promise. The promise is conditional though, to the person who chooses the way of the godly. This person is promised a blessed life. Not blessing as defined but he world, but blessing as defined by the One who gives the promise. The promise comes for the man or woman who makes God’s Word their delight, their joy, their daily bread. This life will be blessed with abundance, with fruit, with longevity, with deep roots that are continually supplied. I find this so incredible. A full life to the person who makes God his refuge.
I also see within this passage a command to obey. Yesterday three things stood out. The need to watch where I walk, stand, and sit. The command is for me to give heed and to pay attention to where my feet walk. To take a stand for truth and righteousness, and to refuse to sit where God is not glorified.
I pray that my life become a living demonstration of the blessed life in this Psalm. I ask God for wisdom to walk, stand, and sit in a place that lifts up his name. I seek to make Him my delight and to find my roots deeply and firmly planted in Truth. I praise God for His unfailing love and mercy. For His kindness towards me and for the sword of His Word that cuts to the deepest parts of my life in order to heal and deliver.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
Comments(4)
Jim Holmes says:
February 11, 2014 at 10:44 pmProbing Ps.1: 1-6…
S – I must admit…I’m not as good as my looks, or am I lookin’ better than I really am. God sees all my failures and my heart, and He lovingly knows how to make me more like Jesus. I’ve strayed from the path God has called for me to take, but He has never left me. He is faithful. He knows the Way of the righteous and during these past days of study I regained a hold of His hand that leads me His Way.
P – God has promised delight and blessing as I meditate on His laws. His words are a light unto my path and are true.
A – I need a change of attitude; an attitude that will hear and delight in the words of Life, and to meditate on His words day and night…this is food for my soul, my spirit…the word of God, it is spirit and it is life…His law is good.
C – The Lord commands a warning and a choice, to choose the way of the righteous, and to not take the way of the ungodly who will perish.
E – An example to follow is the man that is blessed. This man is fulfilled in doing what God’s heart asks of Him. His delight is in the Lord, not in himself.
P – Pray that we would “remain” in Christ… Hearing God…”day and night”
E – The error to avoid is being ungodly…taking their counsel, acting and talking like them.
F: – The truth to believe – is that you can be blessed if you choose to delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it, believing what God says.
S – Something to praise God for…that we can turn to Him turning away from our sin…as we take His hand, praise Him for He knows the Way
Susan Craig says:
February 12, 2014 at 12:56 amPromise to claim-blessing,prosperity,known by God if we are righteous.
Error to avoid-going to the ungodly for advice,hanging out with them and doing what they do-adopting their attitudes as your own
Truth to believe-you are what you eat-feed on the Word of Truth if you want be known by God and be prosperous/blessed/righteous
Warning-Guard the door of your mind(garbage in=gabage out)-be wiser than the scoffers-live with eternity in mind-produce fruit that lasts
Praise God for His Word and His Spirit that instructs us in the way we should go-Thank Jesus that the water He gives us will spring up from His well that never runs dry. Blessed is the man that hungers and thirsts after righteousness-for he will be filled.
Pat McRae says:
February 12, 2014 at 1:35 amIs there a sin to confess? If I said NO I would have to confess to lying but I see where I have taken ungodly counsel sometimes without realizing it and sometimes because my itchy ears liked the sound of it rather then the truth. How often people have told me it is ok to be angry, but for me it is not ok because anger turns to rage and things are done and said that are not how a follower of Christ should act or speak. My accepting the advice is sin and I know it.
Yes I see a promise actually a few promises. I can be a tree and that to me means strong and I can bare fruit and leaves. I will also be prosperous in whatever I do. But the promises come with a condition. Is it a command? No, it is a direction that if I follow it I will benefit. I need to be in the Word and the Word needs to be in me. So this brings a change in how I view my day. The Word and meditating on that Word needs to become a priority not a fill in sometime thing.
I see for me a few errors to avoid. I need to make sure the advice I receive is godly and the only way I will know for sure it is godly is to be in the Word. I have to seek His Word for my situation and remember He has a specific Word for me so I can be strong, found in the congregation of the righteous.
I totally believe the Lord does know my way and when I veer off it He puts up road blocks and huge signs to keep me on track. But I need to choose to heed the warnings and make the proper adjustments.
Father I thank You for giving me clear directions in Your Word of how I can live a life that is strong, fruitful and prosperous. You know where I am weak and You strengthen me in those areas by warning me to stay away from them. Lord I thank You that my righteousness and ability to be a daughter of the King is because of what You did for me at Calvary. Help me Holy Spirit to walk in truth, help me to seek my Daddy’s Word for every situation and make me aware of any stumbling blocks in my path.
Sue says:
February 12, 2014 at 1:49 amThe promise is this passage is blessing or curse … my choice. We are told in Deuteronomy (30:19) that we are offered life or death, blessings or curses and we are asked to choose life, choose blessings. Psalm 1 shows us the choices we have and the promise that accompanies each.
The implied command is to watch carefully the path I take my life on. Yesterday I pointed out the progression from walking a path – to stopping and standing – and then to settling down and sitting. Either path (the way of the righteous or that of the ungodly) will cause us to take the same method of travelling. The question is where will we settle down … where will I have settled down at the journey. I need to choose carefully.
My prayer would have to be “lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil”.
The error that I need to avoid is that of following after the wrong ends. “There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.” (Proverbs 16:25). I’ve too often followed after my own voice and endured the consequences instead of listening to the voice of my heavenly Father and enjoyed the delights of His law.
This leads me to my example. Christ said that He only did as He saw His Father doing. Jesus only had eyes for His Father. I wonder how much different life would be if I could say the same. 🙂