Psalm 1

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 1
The Lord Knows the Way of the Righteous.

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 the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. . . For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1:1-2 & 6, NKJV

When I was a girl (a long time ago - sigh), I remember thinking that Christians and non-Christians were so much alike. Most followed the acceptable norm, so that one really couldn't tell the difference. Everyone dressed conservatively, you didn't hear the kids swear (well, at least not when the teacher was around), and life seemed to go on pretty smoothly.

I realize that I was very naive but, although evil existed in our society at alarming rates, it was still pretty much "under the table." Today, however, we live in a time when evil is called good and good is called evil!

As Christians, it's easy to get pretty complacent about our Christian lives. We get so busy living our own lives, that we forget about the lost right in our own neighborhoods. Then, too, we do not always want to be different than everyone else--it is easier to just to live a quiet life, fitting in with our neighbors, not bringing attention to ourselves.

We tend to think, "I'm sure not as bad as almost everyone around me." That, is where the problem lies. So often we do just like the non-Christians do in comparing ourselves to each other instead of comparing ourselves to God, and the pattern of perfection He has established in His Word.

It is true that we will never be able to perfectly obey God's Word until we join Him in Heaven, but we should be continually striving toward that end.

What is the psalmist trying to tell us in Psalm 1? The Godly do not listen to the counsel of the non-Christians around them especially regarding who we are and where we came from; we do not walk in their lifestyles, and we do not sit around and talk about people behind their back.

Neither do we immerse ourselves in the pleasures of this world, forgetting our purpose for being here. Do we really believe that the things of this world are better than the joy we experience in worship and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ?

I hope you got a little uncomfortable in reading that last paragraph. I know I did! It's not easy, is it? We know God is everywhere, but so often we live each day as though He's off visiting in another planet or something. But look at Psalm 1 verse 6. The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

In the end, our time on this earth is really just a few short years. Yet, what we do in these few short years will determine how we spend eternity.

Pray that God will help you today to take Jesus everywhere you go. Oh, I know He's already there -- but, put your hand in His, and think about Him being right there beside you all day. Observe how much harder it is to join in the revelry of the world around you.

By the grace of God, determine to spend more time reading and studying God's Word. The Bible is God's Manual given to us so that we might know and understand Him better. We not only see how God worked among His people, but the Bible points us to Christ, our only Hope for salvation and life with Him forever.

Turn off the TV, cancel your plans to go to the movies, and spend some time in God's Word. Experience the joy of loving and serving Christ--a joy that only grows until the day we receive that ultimate joy of being with Him in heaven, forever!

Next: Psalm 2, The Lord Knows the Way of the Righteous

More Devotions on Psalm 1:

Verses 1-2, First Love

Verses 1-3, Delightful Tree

Verses 4-6, The Way of the Ungodly