Greetings in the Strong Name of Jesus!

Psalm 1:1-3
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.  3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” NLT

As I read thru these verses, I reflected on the beauty of the words and reality of the truth they present.  We need look no further than the news headlines of today to see the wickedness of humanity.  It is on full display every day.  Shootings, hi-jackings, kidnappings, murder, human trafficking and more.  It becomes obvious that something is terribly wrong with our society.  Humanity is living out life devoid of any semblance of kindness let alone Godliness.  If we measure the depth of depravity of humanity by the above verses it is easy to see why we are where we are.  Obviously, not all of humanity is heeding the Word when it says – “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked…”  If we have not already lost the blessing of God upon our land, it would seem we may be very close as the base wickedness of humanity quite literally continues to creep into every level of life at a pace I have never before seen.

What, then is the answer.  The answer is simple, it’s just not easy.  The Psalmist spells it out – don’t walk with the wicked.  That may mean we need to do some self-reflection about the company with which we hang.  Maybe we have some “friends” who in fact are keeping us from being what God intended us to be – a reflection of Him. Not to neglect our influence on them, of course. Then he says, “his delight is the law of the Lord…”  That indicates we must spend time in His Word on a consistent basis.  With football season just weeks away, one of things that sets winning teams apart from others is they spend time learning the offense and defense of their opponent.  If we are to be a “winning” Christian, we must spend time in the Word learning the offense of and defense of walking with Christ.  The reward of this lifestyle is in verse 3 – “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”  Wow!  What this says is if I walk away from the wicked, the scoffers, and the nay-sayers and plant myself in the Word, then my life will be refreshed, fed, nourished and prosperous.  I can think of nothing better to think on today than the Word of God. Do I want to be in the congregation of the wicked or the sitting on the banks of the life-giving river of God, being refreshed daily by His Word and allowing Him to prosper me as He sees fit?  I know where I want to be.  Come join me.

You are loved and prayed for,

Pastor Roger