Everyone desires the blessings of God, but not everyone pursues them. How do you know you are blessed? Or, the opposite, how do you know you are cursed? God told Israel He would reward them if they obeyed and punish them if they disobeyed Him (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). A worldly view of blessings is measured by how much money or how few problems you have. But, some of the most blessed people live with great trouble and few possessions. I used to think the more money I could make, the happier I would be. If I could just get rid of that issue, then how blessed I would be! Blessings aren’t about getting more stuff and less strife, but about getting more of Him!
Psalm 1 tells us blessings come from delighting in the Lord’s Word and denouncing the devil’s world. This first Psalm depicts two types of people: blessed and wicked. In fact, the Psalm begins with the word “blessed” and ends with the word “destruction” (NIV). There is no middle ground! A blessed person (verses 1-3) is one that has already decided to pass on a lifestyle of sinfulness (v. 1), and pursue lifestyle of godliness found in God’s word (v. 2). Verse 3 illustrates the continual actions of following God and avoiding evil results in being planted or rooted in blessings. Blessings do not come any other way! A lifestyle in Christ is a blessed life! One can even see the way (v. 1), truth (v. 2), and life (v. 3) of John 14:6 in Psalm 1:1-3! Because this person has been blessed by spending time with the Lord and growing daily in Him, they can be a blessing to others.
Conversely, the wicked are the unblessed who do not delight in, meditate on, or obey God’s Word. They are not strong trees planted with deep roots in Christ, but are useless chaff blown in every direction by everything. Their thoughts, actions, words, and plans are always in disarray because their stability does not come from the trustworthy principles of God’s Word. Even worse, John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7-12) uses the same imagery found in Psalm 1 to warn the ungodly (chaff) to repent before they are thrown into unquenchable fire (hell). A blessed person is one that is in Christ (saved), and obeys His Word while being a blessing to others (discipleship), especially as a gospel witness of Jesus!
Questions:
- Are you walking, standing, or sitting in sin? Do you see how the Psalmist portrays how lingering sin progressively gets worse?
- Is God’s Word something you truly meditate on? How would this affect obedience to it?
- Do you view life as blessed to be a blessing? How can you best be a blessing to the ungodly of Psalm 1:3-6? Think gospel!
Prayer:
Lord, help me to stay away from any form of wickedness and evil. Help me to repent of sin and cling to your Word! I desire to be a blessing to others, especially those who are ungodly, by sharing the gospel and loving them as Jesus would.
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stephenrharrison
Stephen and his wife Haley have called Arkansas home all of their lives. Stephen has served in several ministry roles over the last 25 years and as a lead pastor for the last 8 years. Stephen attended Williams Baptist College and earned a BA in Biblical Studies from Ouachita Baptist University, an MA, MDiv, and DMin in Christian Leadership and Pastoral Ministries from Liberty University. When not pastoring, Stephen enjoys running, cycling, reading, writing, camping, fishing, and spending time with his family.
STEPHEN R HARRISON 
I see. After reading this I know that the problem is me and I need to spend more time praying and reading His word. Thinking about poor me is not helping me grow spiritually. Even if the “disarray” doesn’ t show, I feel it when I am not spending enough time with God.