Psalms 1:1-6

Life is full of choices.  The choices that we make throughout our lives will have a profound impact on how we live on the earth as well as how we will stand before God on the Day of Judgment.  This first Psalm presents a clear contrast between the way of the Word and the way of the world.  Today’s society tries to present a view of life that is relativistic and claims that it really does not matter what we choose; as long as it makes us happy.  God makes it clear that our present and eternal well-being is dependent upon the choices that we make.  The Bible paints the choices in life as black and white with a clear contrast between the choices that we need to make.  Today’s culture tries to paint everything in different shades of grey.  We must choose which way we will believe.

THE WAY OF GOD’S WORD IS PERMANENT AND PRODUCTIVE: If we want to have a life that is blessed by God we must first determine who or what will be allowed to influence us and be the delight of our hearts.  God wants us to avoid the evil influences of this world.  He warns us not be come under their influence because it is a progressive trap.  We will start out by walking close to them, then standing with them, and finally progress to sitting down with them.  Rather than allow the world to counsel us we must place our trust completely in the Word of God.  We must love God’s Word and delight in the honor we have of hearing it, knowing it and living according to its principles.  If we do that; we will live lives that are productive and we will not be tossed and turned according to the winds and waves that will crash down upon us as we strive to serve God in a sinful world.  Besides being productive on earth we are also guaranteed to live permanently in the presence of God in our eternal home.  This is clearly the choice we must make for our lives.


THE WAY OF THE WORLD IS PASSING AND PAINFUL:  Unfortunately, there is another choice that is far more popular.  This is the choice of immediate gratification.  It is the choice of popularity but it is the choice that leads to destruction.  There is a certain pleasure that is afforded by walking, standing and sitting with sinners.  We like to “fit in” and it is attractive to us to be able to be one of the crowd.  There is comfort in numbers and we are very attracted to comfort.  However, we must be warned that the comfort, pleasure and popularity promised by the way of the world is very temporary.  It is a way that is constantly changing it drags us further and further away from the Word of God and shifts like quick sand.  Just when we think that we understand its ways and get comfortable; they change.  There is no permanent standard for truth so there is no way of determining what is right and wrong.  This wavering way of the world makes it impossible for us to be productive because we are never allowed to place our roots in the firm foundation of God’s Word.  It leads to life of constant questioning, uncertainty and futility all the days of our lives.  However, the true tragedy of this choice is that it leads to eternal destruction and condemnation before God.

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