The Word: Psalm 1: 1 (KJV)
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Dig Deeper:
Psalm 1: 1 (KJV)
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Think about it
GROWTH THROUGH FOCUS….
We ‘ve been studying the 7 characteristics of living things: Respiration, Nutrition, Excretion, Sensitivity, Movement, Growth, Reproduction. Let’s discuss growth of the blessed man today….
Psalm 1 is a powerful text. It gives us the story of a man – A blessed man (fortunate, prosperous, happy, enviable), Christian man, a man of value, a man of discipline, a man of vision, a man of purpose….
So this man based on the situation around him has several options. Some of his options are:
1. Walk in the counsel of the ungodly:
Our friends make or mar us. Wrong counsel can destroy us. Amnon, one of the children of David took a wrong advice from his friend to rape his half sister (2 Samuel 13). He was eventually killed by his half brother Absalom in revenge. Wrong advice is like a grenade that can explode anytime
2. Stand in the way of sinner:
If we emulate unbelievers, it has the possibility of backfiring. Other people may even do certain things and escape with little or no consequence. But when you do what is wrong as a believer, you may not be so fortunate to go scot free
3. Sit in the seat of the scornful:
Scorners never really add value. Basically, they like to operate in little groups, a bit of backbiting, they criticize everything that is wrong but they never offer solution nor do they want to lift a finger to be part of the solution. If you find yourself in any organisation and you are detached and all you see is the weakness and you are not proactively working to be part of the solution, then you are already seating in the seat of the scornful.
But this purpose driven man chooses none of the options above. Instead he decides to do the following:
1. His delight is in the law of the Lord:
His interest is God’s interest and advancement of his Kingdom. His focus is God. He refuses distractions. He makes God’s word, Kingdom and interest No 1 priority.
2. In his law does he meditate, day and night.
He makes this a continuous habit, day and night feeding on the word….
What is the result of these actions:
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Nugget: Growth is inevitable when we refuse to focus on distractions but focus on what is important.
Our memory verse for February
2 Peter 3: 18
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Let’s take a few moment to learn our memory verse for this month by heart. It can be memorised in 3 lines:
Line 1: But Grow in grace,
Line 2: And in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
Line 3: To him be glory both now and for forever.
Once you say it a few times it will stick.
Prayer focus: Lord help me to focus on what is important and not on distractions. IJN.
On Grace: God’s lavish Grace – Terry Virgo
Masterlife Workbook: The Church is embarking on weeks of discipleship workbook study starting with the Masterlife: Disciple’s cross.
