“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scornful; 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. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-4
The closest I come to cooking is carefully following a recipe. And when you follow a recipe what you don’t add is just as important as what you do add. If it calls for a pinch of salt, you don’t add a heaping tablespoon. That small faux pas would ruin the entire recipe. If it calls for one egg, you don’t willy-nilly add three, it will make the consistency all wrong. And folks, when it comes to the glory of God’s Word, yes, He gives us a very simple recipe to follow for a blessed life. The question that posits from this recipe however is a very powerful one…will you follow the Godly recipe He provides for a blessed life, or will you follow your own?
Welcome to the Psalms. The book of Psalms is a book of poetic wisdom that contains 150 Psalms by 8 different authors. In fact, the book of Psalms has more authors than any other in the Bible. It was written over a 1,000-year period and, as many know, has King David contributing the most Psalms at 75, exactly half of the book. And Psalm 1, by the way, just happens to be my favorite passage in God’s Word. It is beautiful, colorful, and in it I find a very simple recipe that even my stubborn mind can comprehend. In it, God paints a juxtaposed picture that carefully and clearly illustrates the contrast of what He desires and what happens if that recipe is altered or changed. And surprise, it all centers around what you do with the most powerful tool God has left in our physical possession today, His Holy Word, the Bible.
The recipe of Psalm 1 is how to bake a blessed life, and it starts with three things to not add to your mixing bowl. 1) Do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Where are you getting your life advice today? From the news, from Facebook, or from those that don’t know the truth of God’s Word? If that advice is not founded in Godly wisdom, walking in their counsel will not produce a blessed life. 2) Do not stand in the path of sinners. Folks, unrepentant sinners serve only themselves, and they stand in a very certain place to do so. A place that sees them get the best of everything, and others get only what’s left over. You have a choice where you stand, don’t stand with them. 3) Do not sit in the seat of the scornful. The scornful are those that don’t just ignore God, but oppose Him, His Word, and His work. The scornful (or scoffers), make it their goal to see the work of God halted or stopped altogther. Don’t sit in this seat. So, God starts out the book of Psalms with what to not add to the recipe of a blessed life, but what are we to add? God, in His simplicity, only has one ingredient…the Word of God…and lots of it. The blessed life meditates on the Word of God day and night. The word meditate used here is similar to a cow chewing its cud. The idea that the Word of God is not merely to be read and forgotten, but taken in, ingested by the heart of the believer, and then constantly reengaged throughout the day. The recipe for a blessed life is crystal clear, all you have to do is follow it. Today, I pray that you are engaged in a deep, daily personal study of God’s Word and throughout the day His Holy Spirit is bringing your study back to the light so you can relive its power and glory. For if you hope to be like a tree planted by streams of water, prospering and bearing the fruit of a blessed life, you will need one ingredient…a passion and love for the life-giving Words of God.
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22
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