I find it encouraging and instructive to read through the
book of Psalms on a regular basis. The following are a few thoughts from Psalm
1.
“Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (v. 1, ESV).
There is a progression in this verse from walking to
standing to sitting. A person can get increasingly comfortable with sin in
their life if they aren’t actively pursuing righteousness. Christians need to
be cautious when they start looking at the path of sinners. It is all too easy
to drift away. “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith,
love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2
Timothy 2:22).
“But
his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and
night” (v. 2).
How many churchgoers can honestly say that they love God’s
Word? How many actually spend time in it during the week? The person who
doesn’t know the Word can’t delight in the Word, and can’t truly know if they
are walking in the counsel of the wicked or standing in the path of sinners.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and
discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
“He
is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (v. 3).
The believer who is watered by the Word of God will prosper
by bearing the right kind and amount of fruit in the right season. We are not
identical seeds, but parts of a body with specific functions. “As for what was
sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He
indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and
in another thirty” (Matthew 13:23).
“The wicked are not so, but are like chaff
that the wind drives away” (v. 4).
Rather than being deeply rooted and laden down with fruit,
the unrighteous have no spiritual substance. They drift away into pursuits that
may entertain them for a while, but one day will cause eternal regrets. “Therefore
we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away
from it… How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews
2:1, 3a).
“Therefore
the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous” (v. 5).
Many of those who will not stand in the judgment are those
who have already ceased to assemble with the Body of Christ on a regular basis.
Today’s choice to skip the church gathering may become tomorrow’s choice to
turn their back on the church entirely. “As for what was sown among thorns,
this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the
deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew
13:22).
“For
the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish”
(v. 6).
The one who started out by walking in the counsel of the
wicked and standing in the path of sinners goes on to drift away on the wind
and perish with the wicked. The consequences of carelessness and
inattentiveness can be deadly. I pray that all those who claim to be Christians
would pay attention to the path ahead of them and would turn back if they are
starting to drift away. I also pray that all who are rooted and grounded in
Christ will do everything in their power to warn those who are headed down the
wrong path. Only God can change hearts, but He may well use us to stir the
consciences of loved ones who need to wake up.
“Search me, O God, and
know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).
© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise
indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions
stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
