Two Roads -- Psalm 1


 

Psalm 1

1 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.

4 Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.


The road of life -- and what road to take? The Psalm states that there are only two roads, but I believe most of us often get off "the path of the Godly" and on to the road of destruction.  And we go back and forth, for we can easily become like chaff thrown into the wind, going here and there with no purpose and direction. We are not intentionally going off the one road and on to the other, but we do so without a thought. We do not guard our souls. We are not vigilent. We are taken in by electronic media, or alcohol, or biological passions. 

As I close out my 74th year, I plan to talk about those two highways, for it won't be long before my journey is over. And I want to end up at God's eternal destination. And I want you to get there as well.  

"For the Lord watches over the path of the Godly." Well, how does he watch over you and I?  He does so by the presence of the Holy Spirit, and each one of us needs to routinely ask the Holy Spirit to come into our being.  We need to be intentional and disciplined, practicing various disciplines like prayer, worship, and scripture reading. We need to thirst over righteousness. We need to realize just how depraved we are, and how the cross and the blood can put us in a standing to ask for God's favor, grace, and presence.

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