Psalm 1 1Blessed 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. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
I love this verse. It is definitely a verse with a promise. The promise is if we don't do some things and do something the result will be BLESSING. The Hebrew word here is 'esher and means a state of living in happiness or blessings. Now this is true happiness-not as the world and it's ways defines happiness. Happiness as the world defines it is temporary and depends entirely upon the situation and circumstances we find ourselves embroiled in. This type of happiness usually leaves a person disappointed, discouraged, and depressed. But what of the happiness that God provides. This is not based on circumstance but is instead based on the trustworthiness of God and His awesome word that is filled with promises. Godly happiness makes you stand out from the world and gives you a quality of existence that is attractive and causes those living without it to be pulled toward you and your God.
So how do we get to this wonderful state of happiness and blessedness? There are three things that God says we can't do.
First, we should not receive or follow the counsel of those who are ungodly. Those whose life is filled with tragedy always love company. They are quick to tell you what you should do and how you should do it. One thing that should keep us from receiving that counsel is to look at the track record of those who live by the ways of the world. Divorce, rebellious children, financial wreckage, and more are the results of worldly pursuit of happiness. Just because it feels good in the moment, does not mean that it will end with you fulfilled and satisfied. We are in life for the long haul and our wisdom on how to live life needs to come from Godly counsel. Proverbs 11:14 says that "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." The book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom and direction on how to live life successfully and with great happiness.
Second, we can't fellowship with those who are living a sinful lifestyle. "standing in the way" means in simple language that if we are following God we have no business "hanging out" with those who are travelling a different path. Our great downfall is that many times we have our spiritual life undermined by associating on a consistant basis with those who are "practicing sin". We have a tendency to become like those who we fellowship with. We can't totally separate ourselves from worldly people. We work and play with many who are not godly and who have no interest in building us up. We are in the world but we can not be of the world. Fellowship is an exchange-an exchange of heart, purpose, and direction. For the Christian, we need to fellowship with believers. Those who love us unconditionally, won't judge us, and who help confirm God's direction and purpose in our lives. Hanging with God's people brings great blessing.
Third, we should not walk in scorn or judgement of those we come in contact with. God has called us to be an ambassador of Christ to those we associate with. There are plenty of worldly people who are intent on building their self-righteousness on the failures of others. When we look down on people, we have an impossible barrier to our fishing for men and bringing them into the presence of God. We are beggars who have found the bread of life and it is our responsibility to share that bread with the other beggars who have not been fortunate enough to eat of this bread. We can't be blessed of God if we are judging people instead of winning them to Christ.
The thing we should "do" is to meditate on the Word of God. God's word is the book of life and when we open our hearts to it we can't help but bear fruit for God. The happiest people in the Kingdom of God are those who are being infused with life through an intimate relationship with the word. To meditate means to get all of the meat that is available to us through the word. Meditation comes from the word we use called ruminate. Like a cow eats grass and chews the cud until all the protein and potential good out of what they have eaten. This is a picture of what we must do. Don't just casually pass over the word and think that intellectual knowledge is enough to get you to a state of spiritual happiness. We have to take it apart word by word and apply those concepts to our life. Application of God's word will set you apart from the nominal Christian. We should want every blessing God has for us and live in that true happiness God also wants for us.
Can you be happy? YES YOU CAN!!! Just sayin'...
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