40 Days Praying the PSALMS
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days Praying the PSALMS
Day 1 | CHOICES
40 Days Praying the PSALMS
Day 1 | CHOICES
CHOICES
Psalm 1:1
“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” (NKJV)
We live in a world with seemingly innumerable choices. Every day we wake up and make decisions about how we live, how we interact with others, what we think about, and on and on. And although most don’t think about it… WHO we choose to spend time with makes a difference and causes our life to go in one direction or another.
David, the author of this Psalm, was contrasting the two primary choices YOU and I have daily. In this verse, we see path #1… hanging with the wrong people. And although we don’t see the consequences of this choice in the verse, later in the Psalm, it is clear that each option, each path has a destination.
Path One is what NOT to do.
David writes: “Blessed is the man.” The word “blessed” (“esher” in Hebrew) means: happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable (per the Amplified Bible). Now I ask you, don’t YOU want those descriptions to be true in your life? Happy (who doesn’t want that? Fortunate (people saying, “Boy, you’re lucky”) or prosperous (successful) or enviable – people envying your life and how well things are going for you.
If you want that, then PRAY and ask the Lord to help you choose to AVOID the things He says to avoid in this verse.
Why do you think David – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit – said those things? Because HE had probably done each (in his younger days) and had learned how unsatisfying and harmful those choices were to him.
(Tomorrow, we’ll see the POSITIVE side – things TO DO.)
Prayer: LORD, thank You for all the wisdom in the Bible. I accept this verse in Psalm 1 as truth. Please help me learn how to apply it to my life every day. Amen.
Psalm 1:1
“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” (NKJV)
We live in a world with seemingly innumerable choices. Every day we wake up and make decisions about how we live, how we interact with others, what we think about, and on and on. And although most don’t think about it… WHO we choose to spend time with makes a difference and causes our life to go in one direction or another.
David, the author of this Psalm, was contrasting the two primary choices YOU and I have daily. In this verse, we see path #1… hanging with the wrong people. And although we don’t see the consequences of this choice in the verse, later in the Psalm, it is clear that each option, each path has a destination.
Path One is what NOT to do.
David writes: “Blessed is the man.” The word “blessed” (“esher” in Hebrew) means: happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable (per the Amplified Bible). Now I ask you, don’t YOU want those descriptions to be true in your life? Happy (who doesn’t want that? Fortunate (people saying, “Boy, you’re lucky”) or prosperous (successful) or enviable – people envying your life and how well things are going for you.
If you want that, then PRAY and ask the Lord to help you choose to AVOID the things He says to avoid in this verse.
- Do NOT follow the advice of the wicked.
- Do NOT spend time with bad people.
- Do NOT join in with the complainers and mockers.
Why do you think David – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit – said those things? Because HE had probably done each (in his younger days) and had learned how unsatisfying and harmful those choices were to him.
(Tomorrow, we’ll see the POSITIVE side – things TO DO.)
Prayer: LORD, thank You for all the wisdom in the Bible. I accept this verse in Psalm 1 as truth. Please help me learn how to apply it to my life every day. Amen.