Psalm 1:1-3

"Blessed (happy, content) is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper."

Well, yes, this appears to be quite a bit to take in at first. But we need to remember that when God says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good", that 'taste' means exactly what it says. When we try to bite into God's Word, we don't get to savor the full flavor. We tend to choke on what we read or hear; refusing to swallow and not being able to digest the wonderful poetry that is God's written Word.

Taste, roll around on the tongue, savor every delightful bit of. You know how you get brain-freeze when you bite the top of the ice cream cone instead of licking it? Well, same application here. Only this time we get heart-freeze when we force ourselves to speed through verses instead of taking the time to understand them.

Walk not in the counsel of the ungodly: Don't take to heart the words of people who are not born again, Holy Spirit filled, humble servants of God. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. As long as my delight is in God's law, God's Word, God's way, God's will. As long as I remain as close to my Redeemer as I can get every single day, words should not be able to affect me. But, somehow they do. People I love have killed me off with their words. I have been hated and left for dead. So many reminders from God's Word just popped into my head. You and I have a target on us. It's not on our backs; it is on our hearts.

When people we love abuse our trust and our love, we tend to retreat instead of advance. These are the gates of hell and we need to advance and retrieve these people from the swinging doors of hell. When we retreat, depression sets in. Why? Because we have forgotten our Word. Or perhaps not quite understood it. A baby does not leave the womb walking and talking. He leaves it crying and screaming. When we see ourselves as babes in Christ, we see how little we really do know and understand. Maturity comes with time; growth in the Word of God, the Love of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, is gradual and not instantaneous. We do not live a drive-thru existence here. We sit at Jesus' feet and hear Him speak words of restoration, words of healing, words of unconditional love, words of forgiveness.

Stand not in the way of sinners. We are not here to judge. We are not here to block the sinners' path to righteousness. We are not here to fellowship with darkness. Our relationship with Christ should cause the people around us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, not run the other way. Matthew 5:13 says "we are the salt of the earth" and verse 14 says "we are the light of the world". They should be thirsty for a relationship with Jesus Christ. They should see a difference in us that makes them want that difference, too. The verse goes on to say that "a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." The love of Jesus within us should cause darkness to run and hide, leaving the people we are sharing our lives with open to the redeeming grace of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Sit not in the seat of the scornful. Mockers, blasphemers, scoundrels. Wickedness in both high and low places. We sit on thrones in the presence of God. And someday we will reign over many, if we are good and faithful servants. We walk in the counsel of the Holy Spirit, in the path of righteousness, where God's Word is a Lamp to guide our feet and a Light along our path. Walk is an active verb; it requires motion and activity on our parts.

When we read the Word of God, we need to remember that He is speaking directly to each and every one of us as if there was only one of us. I try to apply each verse that is brought to my attention by the direction of the Holy Spirit to myself. So, then, I end up reading the Bible like this:

Blessed am I when I walk not in the counsel of the ungodly (the foolish, the wicked, the rebellious).Blessed am I when I stand not in the way of sinners. Blessed am I when I do not sit with the scornful, nor align myself with them.

My delight is in the law of the Lord; in His law do I meditate day and night.

I am like a tree planted by the rivers of water, I bring forth my fruit in due season; my leaf shall not wither (I am ever green and growing); and whatsoever I do (for the glory of God and none other) shall prosper.

Amen.