Psalm 1

“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. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”
Psalm 1:1-3 ESV

A new year. A new season of life. A new beginning. A fresh and empty page. A chance to be different.

Most of us probably expected to enter into 2021 with less restrictions, more freedom and, yet, we have been limited once again into a lockdown level 3 because of a second wave and increase in the number of those infected with COVID-19.

You might feel disappointment, bitterness, frustration, depression, loneliness, perhaps even anger. Yet God calls us as Christians not to live like those who have no hope
(1 Thessalonians 4:13). How can we live differently amid these trying times?

The psalmist wrote that those who have nothing to do with the “counsel of the wicked” or “the way of sinners” or the company of “scoffers” are blessed. What does that mean for us believers in 2021?

Who do you listen to for advice these days? To which authority do you answer? What kind of company do you keep (in the midst of social distancing)? Do you join in their complaining and swearing? Are you listening in on the gossip and join in on their mockery and belittling? Perhaps you are alone most of the time – what do you do when no one is watching?

If your primary authority and counselor is God; if He is your primary source of joy, comfort, peace and love; if you keep company with maturing believers, you will be “…like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Your life will bear the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and you will be different from the world.

Don’t miss the fact that a tree cannot plant itself. God saves and chooses us – He plants us with ease of access to His living waters. Dust off your Bible and see with new eyes its wonders and treasures. Find joy, comfort and peace in its pages and share it with others. “Delight… in the law of the Lord, and… meditate (on it) day and night.”

Share This
Posted in Devotion and tagged , .