Choices
(NIV) Psalms 1–4
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.
Do you ever think about all of the choices we make every day, and the repercussions of those choices? Some choices are so methodical that they become almost automatic. Getting up at the same time each morning may not seem like a choice, but it is. We choose what to wear and what route to take to work. If retired, we still have certain routines. Each routine includes choices.
The Bible talks to us about choices. One of the more explicit instructions about choices is found in Deuteronomy 30 beginning in verses 11-19. We are told God sets before us the choices of life and death. Then we are told clearly that choosing God is the same thing as choosing life. Not just our lifestyle, but life itself.
Psalm 1 tells us the result of our choices. We see that one who does not linger with the wicked is blessed, he delights in God’s law, meditating on it day and night, and he is stable and fruitful.
There is a stark contrast Psalm 1 showing the outcome of our choices. When we choose God, we become like that tree being nourished by the living waters of the Holy Spirit as we choose each day to be in relationship with God.
Conversely, the psalmist goes on to show the difference when we do not choose God. The language is stark, identifying those who do not choose God as wicked and sinners, with so little substance they are blown away.
As Christ followers, and those who seek holiness, isn’t it incumbent upon us to choose God and thereby choose life?
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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Seeking Holiness 