GODS’ DIRECTION TO A BLESSED LIFE

 

                                    

                                

                                                         Two paths, two destinations

There were 128 runners in the field for the cross country race at the 1993 NCCA Division 11 Track and field championships. As they set out on the 10 km run, they were following a course that had been marked for them by the race officials. Toward the end of the course that had been marked for them, one of the runners realized something was wrong. Mike Delcavo of Western State College in Colorado saw that the main park had missed the turn.

“I was waving for them to follow me and yelling ‘this is the right way!’”, he told the interviewer after the race. Delcavo was right but only four other runners followed him. The rest continued on the shortcut which allowed them to run a shorter distance and finish the path sooner. In a widely criticized decision, the race officials allowed the abbreviated route to stand as the official course” and Delcavo officially finished 123^rd. (Scorecard, sports illustrated, 1993)

Psalm 1 is the doorway to all of the Psalms, the introduction, The Bible in Psalm 1 puts men in two groups depending on how God sees them- the godly; His treasured fruitful branches and the ungodly- the worthless chaff.  This first Psalm declares there are only two choices: a path that leads to happiness or a path that leads to destruction.  Jesus said there are two gates and two roads that a man can take (Matthew 7:13-14). This world has many choices eternity has two.

The first 3 verses describe the godly. God defines a godly man as one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night (Psa. 1:2). A godly man is a blessed man and in this context the word blessed means deep and true happiness. A blessed man is fulfilled and contented. He is as stable and productive as a tree planted by the river side. God created man to live a blessed life. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-11), Jesus referred to the citizens of God’s kingdom as “blessed.”

Psalm 1 begins by stating what a godly man does not do. He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. The great lesson here is that sin is progressive. “Sinners” is a stronger characterization of bad associates than the phrase “ungodly,” and “standing” is a more thorough committal to them than “walking.” The scorner is the worst case because a radical change has come over him and evil has become his good. 

The scoffer’s contempt of God and the sacred things shows an entire victory over conscience:  it’s completely lost. The people whose conscience is dead cannot see that they are on the wrong path anymore; they act as if everything is normal. When conscience is dead life is doomed both in this world and in the world to come. Our conscience is very critical to our relationship with God; it affects our eternal destination. 

The Psalm warns the godly to beware of the ungodly man’s persuasions, their company and their way of life.  One who associates with evil daily may not realize the loss he is making and may not see the bloom fade from his tree. The man who is beginning to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, allowing himself to be influenced by them, soon learns to breathe at ease in an ungodly atmosphere. His conscience is uneasy as he steps from his place of safety, but he soon accustoms himself to his new position. 

Many people think they are all right because they are not committing out-breaking sins, while the counsels to which they are listening, and the associations to which they are lending themselves, are really undermining all their spiritual strength.  The fiber of will and conscience is secretly eaten away and some day they awake to find they no longer possess the faith, the sensibility, and the resolution of other days. No swift and violent assault of the devil has torn or stained them, but it has been like a moth fretting a garment.

Psalm one warns of the infectious nature of sin and the danger of walking in the counsel of the ungodly. We are all prone to sin and the vice is usually baited with pleasure. You cannot find the happy man anywhere in the devil’s territories. Men who have run the whole round of so called enjoyment unite to say, “If you want to be happy, avoid our footprints.” And yet many feel they must go and try for themselves. They will not take the experience of others; or follow the directions of the “caution board.”

Godly people get their counsel from God through his word (Psa.119: 11, 105; 2 Tim 3:16, Isa.30:21) and other godly people (Proverbs 11:14, Titus 2:4). The word of God is full of godly counsel, if you delight in it you will find the right counsel for any situation. God has given us everything we need for a godly life (2Peter 1:3).  If the counsel comes from man check what the word of God says too. If there is any contradiction then it’s not from God.  That is why it is so important to hide Gods word in your heart. It will keep you from sinful ways and ungodly counsel.

The ungodly have a path, the godly does not take the same path in life because they head in different direction. The godly and the ungodly work in the same office do similar business and live in the same neighborhood.  But, the godly go about the normal day to day life, with the mind set on their noble birth, divine inheritance and glorious destiny. The godly is not afraid to take the less traveled road (Matthew 7:13) because he knows it leads to a blessed life here on earth and eternal life in heaven.

God has a path and it’s a good one to take (Psa. 16:11).  The world does not always reward staying on track but the path we follow is important to God. One day those who have trusted Christ will appear before the Lord for an evaluation of the life we lived and the service they rendered. When we stand before the Lord no shortcuts will be recognized and only those who have run the race by his guidebook will be honored (2 Timothy 2:4-5).

There are only two ways we can be influenced. Either we are influenced with godly influence or with ungodly influence. How are you being influenced?  What and who are you allowing to shape you? In order to live a blessed life, look around at who is influencing you, look within at what you are becoming and finally, look ahead for where you are going. A blessed life is found by those who choose Gods’ way.