Psalm 1
This is a Psalm that contains the fundamentals of Christianity. Just this short text we explore the two destinations in Eternity; one for the Godly and one for the ungodly, the good and the bad, the righteous and the evil, the cursed and the blessed. Psalm 1 is a guide for how to be among the blessed.
Blessed! Blessed is the man. Extremely joyously happy is this person, He is in ultimate joy which exceeds any worldly happiness.
Worldly happiness is false and fleeting—a cover-up. It can be a disguise due to toxins or prideful appeasements or selfish pleasures. But blessedness is divine joy in the Lord. It is present in both the good times and the bad. It is not rooted in your feelings, but instead sourced from the fullness of Christ. This is an Eternal worth; the saint looks to the hope of receiving the crown of life in Jesus Christ in heaven.
To be blessed is to know what not to do as much as it is to know what to do. We start with what not to do which is imputed by Jesus Christ through faith secured in the Holy Spirit.
We walketh not in the counsel of ungodly
Nor standeth in the way of sinners
Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
In the process being led by sin to death, first we walk in it, then we stand, and, finally, we sit. Walking can be compared to communicating with, listening to, and engaging in the wrong party, belief, or doctrine. Over time we our conscience is seared and we stand or root ourselves in a false way of thinking—a lie and deception that slowly becomes truth to us. Then, finally, we sit in the comfort chair of sin, shaped by the world, scorning others by mocking those who still walk in the light.
“Conversely, in obedience we do not those things in the fear of the Lord. We know inwardly that is bad, and we are guided away from these things by the Holy Spirit.” - James 1:14-16
(1) What shall we do?
We delight in the Word of God. This is ascribed to us through Jesus Christ by our faith in Him. We must saturate ourselves in the true Word of God which is Jesus Christ; the wisdom of God (John 1:1-4, James 1:17, James 3:17).
Once we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we delight in His Word. In this divine position, we only want to be in His Word. We want to linger and chew on the Word. We want to meditate on it, not just read to finish, but read to spend time with Christ, absorbing His intricacies and being satisfied by His magnificence. Through this, we are transformed.
(2) How much do we visit the Word?
Day and Night! The divine Spirit of the Word transforms one as a tree, a strong oak planted firmly in the ground. In His foundation of truth, we shall not be moved.
Look at it this way; we are planted by God being elected and chosen by Him. He plants us!
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” - 1 Peter 2:9
(3) What does this do?
When we are planted firmly in His foundation, we receive the nutrients of the Word and are continually transformed and sanctified into his image.
It brings forth the fruit in the saint, and a properly nourished saint never withers, and what does this yield?
We return to the opposite for comparison. We return to the ungodly. We describe the ungodly who are not in the word, who are not planted, not chosen, non-believers, are like chaff which is blown away. They will disintegrate and be destroyed, but until that time of perishing they will follow any worldly way that seems right in their pride revealing the false wisdom of man.
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” - Ephesians 4:14
They are blown by every wind of false teaching. If we are not in the truth, then we are susceptible to believe anything. We are reminded as saints to know the truth, and yes, we are saints who are in Christ, the truth is in Christ (John 14:6).
Therefore, the ungodly will not stand. They will not stand in God’s judgment and will eventually fall from any worldly success they have achieved. They shall not be part of God’s divine body.
The Lord calls and knows the saints who are adopted into God’s family. He is our father; He knows us as His righteousness. The other, the ungodly shall perish.
Dear friend, are you the Godly or ungodly?
John Carlson
Executive Director, Transformation to Recovery