The Blessedness of Godly Counsel
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, not stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3
A Christian’s understanding of who he or she is in Christ, is vital! For example, in-order-to be forgiving when wronged by someone, we must first understand with our hearts and minds that we were first forgiven by Christ from the Cross and called by Him to likewise, forgive others. But how does this come about?
The psalmist tells us plainly: Whoever we run around with, or whatever we fill our minds with, will not only affect us, but others as well! You see, once we’re saved, what we do with our lives after that, is just as important as the day we were (or are) saved!
Here, the psalmist tells us how “walking,” (living our lives), “standing,” or “sitting” at the table with the wicked will disallow us from maturing in our faith and, at the same time, diminish our integrity, so-as-to equally lessen our impact on others for the Kingdom of God. But, if we delight in sitting down to God’s Word daily and allow Him to speak to our hearts through the workings of the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves positioned like a tree firmly planted by streams of water. And tree planted in this fashion does what? It yields its fruit as it should at the proper season, it’s leaves do not wither, and it flourishes and grows!
And so, goes the Christian life. What a blessing to daily bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23) rather than rotten fruit (see Galatians 5:19-21). Read God’s Word and invite the Holy Spirit to teach and apply its truths to your heart and life! Oh, the blessedness and the benefits of God’s counsel and the sharing of our faith in Christ!
Pastor Louie