Psalm 1:5-6

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
When we read Psalm 1, the psalmist makes it very clear that the ungodly and the righteous walk two extremely different paths. He goes on in verse 5 to describe how that those paths conclude in two completely different destinations. They are not interchangeable. They do not coincide. They are starkly different endings.
The path of the ungodly (the lifestyle that is consumed with self-gratification) ends with a crushing judgment. The path of the righteous (the lifestyle infused with the self-sacrifice of Jesus) ends in a joyful celebration.
So what is the “path”? The “path” could simply be described as people’s actions and interactions. It has to do with life choices and pursuits, and would include motivations and desires.
The “path” of the ungodly is filled with self-serving actions that are always tainted with the self-centered sense of personal accomplishment. Life goals include the accolades of those around them, the accumulation of stuff, and the acquisition of overstuffed coffers.
The “path” of the righteous is completely opposite. Instead of serving self, the righteous see their goal as accomplishing the magnification of God in the hearts and minds of those around them. The life goals of accolades, and accumulation, and acquisition are replaced with an insatiable desire to see God’s Kingdom grow and be established.
Knowing that these two different paths conclude in two different destinations, which would you choose? Any reasoning, capable human being would choose the one that ended in the joyful celebration. Why then do people choose the one that ends in destruction? Because they are too distracted by the glitz and glimmer of their lifestyle. Like a mouse attracted to the devastating cheese on the mousetrap, or a beetle to the glowing bug light, they cannot resist the overwhelming, enslaving power of their life choices and pursuits. Vice after vice binds their minds until they are convinced that their self-destruction is normal, and that their future-mutilation is commonplace and unpreventable.
We can offer them hope in Jesus, but we must guard our minds from the “deceitfulness” of the things that so easily bind them. We must constantly suspect our own motives and desires. We must search our hearts and souls for any captivating thing that is slowly drifting us away from the right “path” lest we end up in the destination of the ungodly.

Food For Thought: What determines the destination that people will arrive at eventually?

Psalm 1:4

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Worthless. Useless. Helpless. These are the ones without God. They have value in that Jesus died for them, but without faith in His saving work, even that value is lost on them. They have a use, but sadly it is only to show that the end of sin is destruction and the ways of death. They could receive help if they would simply trust in Jesus. But they don’t. Scornfully, they turn away.
The Psalmist tells us that the ungodly are like the chaff from wheat when it is being winnowed (this is a process not too familiar with our modern non-agrarian culture). Picture instead the fluffy seed plumes on an expired dandelion. A strong wind comes and away they float. There is no market for fluffy seed plumes. They hold no intrinsic value. They aren’t desirable, rather, culture has literally spent millions of dollars on killing them. These plumes do not have hands. Instead, they have a big puffy, fluffy top that seems to catch the wind and drag them wherever it wants to. They don’t determine which direction they will go, rather, the unseen wind around them drags them from one point to the next. They are helpless.
This is a pretty dire but accurate picture of the unrighteous. It doesn’t flatter. It doesn’t sugar-coat it. It is just the painful truth. They are worthless, useless, and helpless without God. As the chaff that is driven by the wind, they move blindly after their own lusts, heaping on their own heads the destructive fruit of ungodliness.
But we cannot end there. The gospel compels us to press on past the despair. Where there is a lack of worth, or a lack of purpose, or a lack of hope in the ungodly, we should not finish our interaction with them. Certainly we would not take their advice. We wouldn’t become like them, but we should bring the liberating truth of Christ to them. We are called to be harbingers of hope, declaring the wonderful truth that Jesus came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. In Christ, their helplessness can be met with grace, their uselessness can be vanquished with purpose, and their worthlessness can disintegrate at the value of His sacrificial love.

Food For Thought: What is the Psalmist comparing the ungodly to when he says, "The ungodly are not so"?

Psalm 1:3

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

I just finished landscaping the front of my house. In all, I planted about fifty plants in the plant beds, including a couple of trees. At the end of the job, I began the task of watering the plants. This is not a glamorous job, but it is one of the most important jobs of landscaping. You see, without water a plant’s leaves dry up and fall off. The blooms on the flowers get sickly and all of my hard work (and money) become worthless. Watering is so basic, but vitally necessary.
According to the Psalmist, meditating in God’s Word is very similar. Just as the plants need the nourishment of the garden hose, we need the nourishment of God’s Truth. At times it may seem like a laborious task to pause and read it, but the value far outweighs the effort. You see, the Psalmist relates a constant immersion in God’s Word with three things: fruitfulness, perseverance, and purpose.
1) We can be fruitful. We can have a life that actually produces good things. We can’t do it in our own power, but in due season, the good fruit of our lives will bear out if we are constantly watering our hearts with the Truth of God’s Word. His Spirit will minister His Truth to our souls, and all that we must do is place ourselves under the garden hose of His Word.
2) We can persevere. The constant nourishment for the plants helps prepare them for the hot summer days. Through consistent watering their roots become established, and they become drought resistant. Similarly, a regular dose of God’s Word prepares our hearts for seasons of trial. Refreshed by His comforting Word, we can withstand the scorching days of our souls.
3) We can live a life of purpose. We were not created without a purpose. We are not animals that root about aimlessly. Rather, as we dig into Scripture, we find that we were created and that we have a very important purpose that we can accomplish. “Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” We can get plugged in to that truth, and take on a life of purpose. We were made for this. Eternal prosperity is within our grasp.

Food For Thought: What is the benefit of being daily immersed in the garden hose of God’s Word?

Psalm 1:2

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
God’s Word is delightful. By it we know the most important truths of life.
First: We can know God through His Word.
The Shaper of man, the Creator of all things, the Sovereign of time and eternity, the Omnipotent and Omniscient, God has revealed Himself to us. Who are we that He should do that? The most wealthy, and the most powerful men on the earth tend to hide their personal information as they gain prestige, but God chooses rather to reveal Himself through His word. He wants us to be able to see Him. He gave us an entire library called “The Bible” to show us His character and His nature, His joys and His dislikes.
Second: We can know of our helplessness.
The stories of Scripture teach us again and again, that no matter who we are, we always fall short. Whether it was a king like David, or a wealthy land-owner like Abraham, or a strong man like Sampson, or a wise man like Solomon, all men have shortcomings. Consistently, we see them make mistakes. The hollowness of their power, wealth, strength, and wisdom reveals itself in the self-destructive human tendencies that we also see in ourselves. So from God’s Word, we can see that we too are helpless.
Third: We can know of the hope offered through Jesus.
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” truly describes us. But we read that, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” “For God hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Although we blow it continually, we can find hope and solace in the peace brought through the sacrifice of Jesus. As the song writer put it, “Hallellujah, all I have is Christ!” And we find our hope in God’s Word.
Truly His Word can be a delight to those who read it. The irony is that some people misread Psalm 1:2 as a command, “You must delight in the law of God!” as if it is not already delightful. God’s Word when read, brings hope; when understood, brings life; when obeyed, brings joy. Now, read it and enjoy.

Food For Thought: What three truths does the Bible tell us?

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Imagine that as I drive my new (to me) F-150 down the highway, suddenly a puff of smoke comes out of the tail pipe, the engine sputters for a second and then dies. I then let my truck coast down the highway until I can pull off into a parking lot.
At the entrance of the parking lot is a pretty shabby looking guy sitting on a park bench. After coming to a stop, I get out and pop the hood. Soon the homeless guy makes his way over to my truck and speaks, “you know I sit here every day and watch all types of cars and trucks drive by.” I respond with, “Oh, so you know how to fix them?” He shrugs, “You could say that.”
After relinquishing the engine compartment to him, I watch as he pulls out a couple of important looking hoses and wires. Under his breath he grunts, “This doesn’t look too important…” and “why would a car need one of these?” He finishes his “work” and steps away from the truck, slamming the hood closed. “Go ahead and fire her up, I think she’s ready,” he says confidently, as he stands in the pile of my truck’s removed hoses and wires. I hop in the cab and turn the key…and…nothing, absolutely nothing. Why? Because I just let a hobo rip stuff out from under my hood.
Now imagine that I never let the hobo touch my truck. Imagine rather that the parking lot that I pulled off the road into is the headquarters of the Ford company. As my truck rolls to a stop, a couple of guys come out the front door and with a look of concern one of them says, “Everything all right?” I explain to the guys about the smoke and the sputtering, and ask if they know of anything that could help me get my truck started. The older of the two replies, “Let me take a look. I am actually the lead mechanical engineer for Ford, and I designed and developed all the major engine components on the F-150.” In an instant, he is digging around under the hood using words that are so technical they sound almost made up. Moments later, he says, “Oh, here’s the problem,” and twists a part of the engine that I didn’t even know existed. Confidently he steps back and tells me to fire up the truck. After hopping in the cab, I turn the key, and the engine roars back to life.
What was the difference between the advice of the hobo and the mechanical engineer? One was a truck watcher and one was a truck maker. This is the point that the Psalmist is making when he starts out Psalm 1. Our lives are like the F-150. At times they sputter and smoke with problems. The foolish thing to do is to take advice from anyone other than the Maker. Even though at times others will offer advice with confidence, if it doesn’t come from the Maker then it will be absolutely worthless if not ultimately destructive.

Food For Thought: What phrase from Psalm 1:1 do you think today's devo highlighted?

Psalm 100:5

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
If God is good then why do bad things happen? According to Genesis 1:31, God declared that all of His creation was “very good.” He had not flawed, and He had not created evil. However, in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve believed the deceptive lies of Satan and disobeyed God, introducing sin and ultimately death to all mankind. Sin was the corruption of God’s perfect, holy design. It was a lack of holiness, a lack of faith, a lack of obedience that had led to the corruption of what God had created.
But does that mean that it was without His control? No, certainly not. He could have stopped it at any point, but He did not. Was He surprised by the sin? Also, no. Nothing takes Him by surprise. As a matter of fact, Revelation 13:8 points to the fact that God in His prescience (foreknowledge) had already planned for the fall, and that He desired to extend redemption to the descendants of Adam before He even created Adam.
God is not the author of sin, but He is sovereign over it. In Isaiah 45:7 God says “I form the light, and create the darkness: I make peace, and create evil. I the LORD do all these things.” Some might point to this verse and say that God does that which is evil. The only problem is that the Hebrew word translated “evil” here is not the word that is used for sin or lack of holiness, rather it is the word that deals with calamity and tragedy. He certainly does not create disobedience to His holy character, but He does create the calamity and affliction that accompany the disobedience of His holy nature.
He is only good. In Isaiah 46:10, He says, “I will do all my pleasure” (I will do whatever pleases me). Romans 8:28 goes further to explain that He will “work all things together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose.” It pleases God to do good to us. So God allows “bad” things to happen, so that He may redeem them to His holy purposes for His glory. For the LORD is good, and His mercy is everlasting.

Food For Thought: If God is good, then why do bad things happen?

Psalm 100:4

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” 

A field sits under the sun. The rows have been dug. The seed has been sown. Now it patiently waits. All that it is missing is rain. Day after day, it stares at the cloudless sky, and wonders, “When will it rain?” But it has confidence that it will rain. It never has doubted the rain. Every year rain comes. The field receives it, and the crops grow. But for now, the field waits.
After a long night’s sleep, the field awakens to an overcast morning. The fiery sun peeks past the golden edges of the heavy, swirling clouds. “Today is the day,” the field thinks to itself. As the hours wear on, the clouds move in, ominous and dark. The wind begins to blow, and the trees along the edges of the field bow with every fierce gust. And then the rain comes. The cool, refreshing, rinsing, life-giving rain pours over every square inch of the field. Some unsettled seeds bob in the pools of rain that have gathered in the low spots. The field finally received its rain.
What did the field do to get the rain? Nothing. Was the rain a blessing? Absolutely. So what does the field owe the sky? Everything. But what can the field repay to the sky? Nothing. So how does the field “repay” the sky? It uses every ounce of rain to its utmost. It produces crops that are healthy and strong. It exists always looking to the sky as its source of rain.
We are the field. God is the sky. He pours His blessings and grace on us. Our flourishing and our life come from Him. What do we owe Him? Everything. What can we pay Him? Nothing. You see, the benefit of grace is that it is ‘gratis’ – “free.” If it was payable it would be a business deal, not grace. We owe God everything, but can repay Him nothing. This is the true nature of our position under His grace. So what can we do? Exactly what the field does. We can use every ounce of His blessing to produce in our lives things that would bring praise and glory to Him. We can look longingly to His hand of Provision and trust that every good and perfect gift that we need comes from His hand. We can be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

Food for Thought: Why should we be thankful to God? What do we owe God? What can we “pay” Him?