Recently, I was invited back to begin teaching at Union Gospel Mission, the wonderful Christian homeless center that I taught in until Covid for approximately 15 years each Monday. Since this was a new group of approximately 150 men, I didn’t know exactly what they were needing. So, as I was praying for the Holy Spirit to lead me, he directed me to Psalm 1. Allow me to share some of the insights that I was shown in preparation for the study.
What we see in this initial Psalm is what we experience in our world today. There are two types of people described. The Psalmist says that the man is blessed who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, or sits in the seat of the scornful. Walk, stand or sit. That sort of describes our everyday activity. So, the Spirit is saying that, as we go in our everyday life, we are to avoid these influences and relationships that would drag us down and cause us to lose our blessing. In today’s world, we are bombarded by social media and negative influences that are anti-Christian, anti-God. Then there are also people in our family, our business, recreation that are not following the Lord. It is fine to evangelize and pray for these, but to allow close, intimate relationships that would cause us to stumble is dangerous.
That is the negative part of Psalm 1. The next part talks about how to be blessed. We are to delight in God’s word, meditate on it daily and by doing so will be like a tree planted by water that’ll bring forth fruit in our lives in its season. Also, our leaf will not wither and whatever we do will prosper. Anyone into prospering?
Now we see the other person described in Psalm 1. It says the ungodly are not like the man who is blessed, but he’s like the chaff which the wind drives away. If you’ve never seen the process, it is interesting. Since I grew up my first few years in the country, my grandparents and family ran a farm. When they would harvest the crops, they would put it on a blanket with each person holding an edge of the blanket or a sheet. They would toss the kernels up in the air, and the debris or chaff would be blown away by the wind, leaving a clean product.
The Psalmist goes on to say that this man (chaff) will not stand in the day of judgment, or in the congregation of God’s righteous. And that the way of the ungodly will perish. He also reemphasizes that the Lord knows the way of the righteous. To know is to have an intimate, personal relationship.
Finally, we have to be reminded of the Beatitudes in Matt. 5.3-12 where Jesus lists those who are blessed. Poor in spirit (humble), merciful, hungers and thirsts for righteousness, meek, those who mourn, pure in heart, peacemakers and who are persecuted for the sake of the gospel. And God shows us in John 15.1–12 that the only way to accomplish these things is by abiding in him and his word. He will produce fruit, more fruit and much fruit in and through us. And he will provide his abundant joy in our lives, starting now, and lasting throughout eternity. So, what will it be for you? It’s a choice that we make. To be blessed or to be blown away?