Three Don'ts of a Blessed Life

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;

Psalm 1:1

In the middle of our Bibles we have the songbook of the OT believer. In it we find all different kinds of psalms that were sung in their worship services, songs of praise, songs of lament, thanksgiving songs, and some songs that were written to instruct God’s people. Psalm 1 is one of these last types. It lays out for the believer how to have a blessed life and in the very first verse gives us three don’ts to attaining that life.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked." 

The blessed man doesn't take advice from wicked people. Let me ask, who do you take advice from? If you remember the story of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, then you know that the counsel we accept often determines our fate (I Kings 12). We often end up becoming like those we follow, so don’t let wicked people tell you how to think or what to do. Listen to the counsel of the righteous, instead. Take counsel from God’s Word.

"[He] does not stand in the way of sinners."

What paths are you walking? We're blessed when we do not live like the wicked live. So don’t frequent the places or activities the wicked frequent. "But Jesus hung out with sinners," you might object. While Jesus was a companion of sinners, He interacted with them when they were not engaging in their sinful ways. He didn’t frequent brothels or temples of pagan gods! He spoke to them in the marketplace and out on mountain sides and by the sea shore. Jesus steered far clear of their wicked paths and so should you. Don’t do what the wicked person does and somehow fool yourself into thinking you are any different from them.

"[He] does not sit in the seat of scoffers."

Notice here the progression in his path toward wickedness. First he merely walked by the wicked. He doesn’t tarry but is there long enough to just hear their thoughts on a subject. He "walks in their counsel." Then he grows accustomed to them and their thinking and he "stands among them" in their way of life though he is still somewhat set apart. And in the end where do we find him but sitting down, settling in among them. Here we see that by virtue of taking their advice and hanging around them, over time this young man has begun to think like them. Their worldview has become his worldview. The way of the righteous person seems odd and foreign to him now. And so He joins in with the wicked in mocking God’s people and God’s ways. He is now one of them, whether he admits it or not.

Consider your own life. Look back at where you were 5 or 10 years ago and see where you are now. Are you more like Jesus or the world now than you were then? Are your beliefs more in keeping with the Bible or with the world? Are you walking, standing, or sitting in the way of wicked men?

Water at Sea (W.o.W. Rewind)

On May 27, 1943 a B-24 bomber named "The Green Hornet" went down in the Pacific Ocean while flying a search and rescue mission. Louis Zamperini was on that plane. He and another crew member survived the crash and for 47 days fought for survival on the open seas in a small inflatable raft. They had very few provisions and went as many as six days at a time without drinking water. Water became one of their most precious resources. They prayed for rain and perfected techniques of capturing as much as they could.* Imagine the irony of literally being surrounded by a sea of water while you are dying of thirst. As far as their eyes could see in any direction there was only water, yet none of it was able to quench their thirst. In fact, because of its high saline content, this water would only dehydrate them more.

This is the spiritual situation we all find ourselves in. We are dying of thirst for something spiritually real, something that satisfies, someone who can put us right with God. And we are surrounded by a sea of options that purport to be able to satisfy this thirst. We are tempted to turn to horoscopes to give us hope for the future; to other religions for a more palatable view of God; to love to give us self-worth and meaning; to entertainment to provide rest, and to nature to explain our origins and give purpose to our lives. But just like saltwater none of these solutions satisfy our thirst. They leave us worse off than we were before. Only Jesus satisfies!

Jesus highlights this aspect of His mission at the Festival of Booths. This festival is a celebration of God's provision for His people as they wandered in the dessert. No small part of that provision was that God provided water for so large a group of people in a dessert setting. Thus, Jesus stands on the last day of the celebration and says in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38)

Whether you are in a dessert or an ocean, you can't live very long without water. Water is one of the most basic human needs. Jesus is telling us that He is much more than one helpful bit of spiritual nourishment among many options. He is the only one that truly satisfies, that meets our needs. It is easy to forget this though. You would think I would have this figured out. I'm a believer and a pastor, but still I sometimes forget that only Jesus satisfies. He is the one source of living water.

In so many ways I am like Martha. Remember the sisters Martha and Mary. As Martha swarms around Jesus busy with the details of hosting an important teacher and His disciples, her sister sits at Jesus' feet idly taking in His precious presence. So often I am like Martha- lost in a swarm of activity and missing the blessings of Jesus' presence. I'm starving over here, working my fingers to the bone because I think it's what Jesus wants me to do. But what does Jesus say? "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Help us all Lord to choose the better portion. As we drift in this sea of false hope and false gods, gently remind us that only You satisfy. Only You solve our real problem, the problem of sin. Only You can truly give us the hope of Heaven. Draw us to Your feet through Your Word and through prayer. Help us Jesus to feast on Your presence today.

For further reading...

• John 6:32-40- Consider also Jesus' statement that He is the bread of life. 

*Details taken from the book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.

Walking Through the Land

The Lord said to Abram...“All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever... Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.

Genesis 13:14-18

I see many parallels between Abram and the believer today. Abram had been promised that his offspring would one day inherit the land of Canaan. The believer also has a promised inheritance, for us it is the whole earth. God commanded Abram to walk throughout the land of Canaan in faith, believing that all of it would one day belong to his descendants. God has called us to go and make disciples throughout the entire earth in faith, believing that some are called to become God's children. As Abram walked through the land he built an altar to his God and made sacrifices worshiping Him. Let us build altars to the Lord wherever we go as well. Let us make sacrifices to share the gospel and bring men to faith in Christ. And let this be our pleasing act of worship to Jesus. When Abram left a place that altar remained as a silent testimony to the Lord. So too the believer will not be left without a witness as we move through the world. If we walk closely with Jesus and worship Him openly, then when we leave a place the impact as well as the memories of our good deeds will remain as a silent testimony to our Lord Jesus.

Find your way to "walk throughout the land" you will one day own. Go on a mission trip. Sacrifice to support missions both financially and in prayer. Live in such a way that you leave altars of worship behind you as a testimony to Jesus wherever you go. Each of us are only given so much time. Make the most of yours. One day the whole earth will be ours, believer. Let's live like it!

Be Bold like Nehemiah

I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests

Nehemiah 2:7-8

Just a few verses before these Nehemiah has taken his own life into his hands. He is a cupbearer for the king, part of the conquered people of God living in exile in a foreign land. And he has just asked the King of Persia to give him time off from work so he can go rebuild Jerusalem (vs 5). This is no small request. It must have been a completely unheard of and absurd scenario for a cupbearer to make such a request of the king. And yet, the king was gracious to Nehemiah! In verse six he basically asks Nehemiah how much time off he thinks he will need. Can you imagine?!

But then the unthinkable really happens. Already, Nehemiah could have been severely punished or even killed for his presumption to make such a request, yet he finds the boldness and faith double down and ask for more! In verses seven and eight above, Nehemiah asks for all the incidentals he will need to accomplish his purpose. He asks the king for guarantees of safe passage and all the lumber he needs to rebuild the city wall, gates, and a personal residence for himself. Nehemiah will be gone long enough to build himself a house! And because of God’s grace, the King of Persia actually grants this request as well. He essentially writes Nehemiah a blank check for all the lumber he could need.

If Nehemiah could be so bold in making requests of a pagan king who had no reason to grant his desires, then why can't you be bold in prayer before God? How much more ought the child of God to be bold to ask his Heavenly Father for all that his heart desires (if what he desires is good and right)? Approach the throne with boldness and ask for all you need! God delights in providing for His children. It is not bothersome to Him to hear the requests of His children. Be careful not to be worldly or selfish but be bold like Nehemiah and ask for everything you need!