Psalm - Psalm 1

It's been a while since I've posted on the blog. I've been posting on Facebook, and sorry to say, I've forgotten to post the information here. 

Today, I'm starting a new Bible Study. I'm going to pick out one verse from each Psalm on which to focus. 

Psalm 1

Psalm 1:2But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Delight: things desired, purpose
Meditates: to ponder, contemplate, talk it over with oneself

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2 (AMP)

They ·love [delight in] the Lord’s ·teachings [laws; instructions], and they ·think about [meditate on] those ·teachings [laws; instructions] day and night. Psalm 1:2 (EXB)

I like that word in the Amplified Version - Habitually. It's important to create a habit of thinking about God's Word. If I habitually ponder what God's Word has to say, the greater impact it will have in my life. 

Psalm 1:2 - Habitually Meditate! 

Take Delight

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely. Psalm 1:2 (TLB)

They ·love [delight in] the Lord’s ·teachings [laws; instructions], and they ·think about [meditate on] those ·teachings [laws; instructions] day and night. Psalm 1:2 (EXB)

Doing everything God wants them to......... that word EVERYTHING encompasses so much! There are some things that are fun to do... those are easy to accomplish. BUT...... everything God wants me to do.... that’s a bit harder. 

Such as:

But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matthew 5:44 (TLB)

How can I do that? The only way is to love God, and take delight in obeying Him. When I focus on Who God is, and what He wants me to do... then obeying Him is easier. When we love someone, we don’t mind doing what they ask... even if we think the task is unpleasant. 

If I’m finding it hard to do everything God wants... and taking delight in obeying God, then I need to spend time in deepening my relationship with Him. For out of love comes obedience. 

To create a positive day, I need to take delight and enjoy obeying God..... and if I’m not, than I need to spend time with Him deepening my relationship. 

Each One

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. Psalm 1:1 (AMP

God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn: when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes, When you avoid sin’s highway, when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse. Psalm 1:1 (VOICE)

God’s blessings. The sign on my front door says, “God blesses us every day,  It’s up to us to notice.” Some of God’s blessings are hard to miss... like the wonderful blessings God gave me while at Chicagoland Speedway. 

Some of God’s blessings are more subtle. It could be something that makes me smile, like Max flying to my shoulder and saying “happy”. Or a phone call, letter, email from a friend. Or a verse that reminds me that God loves me. 

Not all blessings are showy and create a fan-fair. Often it’s the every day and often “ordinary” blessings that I overlook, yet those are the very blessings that remind me that God loves and is caring for me. 

To create a positive day, I need to take notice of each one of the blessings God gives me every day. 

The Pulse Beat of My Experience

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. Psalm 1:2 (AMP)

But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. Psalm 1:2 (NLT)

To meditate in God's word, is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with close application of mind and fixedness of thought. We must have constant regard to the word of God, as the rule of our actions, and the spring of our comforts; and have it in our thoughts night and day. For this purpose no time is amiss. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

I’m reading the book, “Holy Sweat” by Tim Hansel. Chapter 2  “Turning Our Theology into Biography” Tim Hansel ends the chapter with this: 

A dear friend wrote the following words to remind us that God wants and needs to continually “write on our lives” and express himself uniquely through each one of us. I trust they will ignite you as they did me, to live and write and do whatever you do in the pulse beat of your own experience. 

It’s been so long since I’ve seen a burning bush.

Some seasons I see them in every desert wash

The magnificence, the miracle.....”burning and not being consumed.”

Yet, who do I fool? 

Moses paid dearly for his burning bush—sweaty desert miles, and exhausted, sweaty tears—

All for the dubious blessing of talking with God. 

What claim have I to a burning bush? (or to God?)

I have not yet even learned to remove my shoes! 

I’ve learned so much of me. 

Every inch of it has hurt......to see honestly and at length......

because at first all I could see were the wounds of humanity.

I looked for cool unflawed marble of deity but found only a heart of flesh.

But hearts of flesh are all that God can write on. 

Write on me, Father, write on me. 

Barbara Francken Kelley (from “Holy Sweat” by Tim Hansel)

To create a positive day, I need to not only meditate on God’s Word, to change the pulse beat of my experience to be that of God’s. 

What type of person will I be?

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 11 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners,  or join the company of mockers. Psalm 1:1 (GW)

Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. Psalm 1:1 (AMP)

The person. The man. An ordinary individual. Someone just like you and me. 

There’s a lot of truth in the words—the person, or the man. First, that the truth of the Psalm, applies to all of us. Second, it removes the distinction that you must be some super-person, or a “saint’ or other high position. And lastly, it gives us hope that positive choices can be made—by each of us. 

The person. The man. Just your every day ordinary person. The choice of whom to follow is up to each of us. Peer pressure can’t make us decide. Oh, we can let it influence us, but the actual choice is ours to make. Each of us makes choices and we alone are responsible for those choices. 

The person. The man. Me. 

So often, we read or hear about a person who has a great attitude, or does something spectacular, and we think, ”that person is really special. I could never be like them.” I once sense that is true, we aren’t to be like “that other person”. We are to be the person God wants us to be. But on the other hand, we each have the ability to make choices—follow and obey God, or ignore God. It’s simple really... and any person can do it. 

To create a positive day, I need to ask myself, “What type of person will I be?” I need to make personal choices to follow and obey God. 

Feast on the Worthy, Satisfying Seeds

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

Wicked people are not like that. Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away. Psalm 1:4 (GW)

But wicked people are not like that. They are like chaff that the wind blows away [dead, unstable]. Psalm 1:4 (EXB)

One important fact that I had to learn quickly regarding caring for my parakeet, Max, is regarding his seed. Max cracks open the seed with his beak, and eats the kernel inside, leaving behind the husks. Looking at his food dish, it looks full, however it is actually empty... just full of empty husks. If I didn’t learn this fact quickly, Max would have starved. 

The empty husks have no value, they are empty and worthless. So often, the things of the world look so good and appetizing, yet in reality they are empty and of no value... simply worthless husks. 

I have a choice to make, enjoy the company and empty husks the world offers, or enjoy the rich, full, satisfying blessings God provides. 

Starve on the worthless husks, or feast on the worthy seeds.  Which will I choose? It is an ongoing choice as the world’s husks look so tempting. 

To create a positive day, I need to choose to feast on the worthy, satisfying seeds and let the worthless husks blow away. 

Fruit Producer

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

He is like a tree planted beside streams— a tree that produces fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. He succeeds in everything he does. Psalm 1:3 (GW)

And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also doth not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:3 (ASV)

He is "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;" not unseasonable graces, like untimely figs, which are never full-flavoured. But the man who delights in God's Word, being taught by it, bringeth forth patience in the time of suffering, faith in the day of trial, and holy joy in the hour of prosperity. Fruitfulness is an essential quality of: a gracious man, and that fruitfulness should be seasonable.

But to the eye of faith this word is sure, and by it we perceive that our works are prospered, even when everything seems to go against us. It is not outward prosperity which the Christian most desires and values; it is soul prosperity which he longs for.  The trials of the saint are a divine husbandry, by which he grows and brings forth abundant fruit. The Treasury of David

As I read Psalm 1:3 this morning, the phrase, “produces fruit”, I had to stop and think... Am I producing fruit? If so, what kind? As I asked myself these questions, Galatians 5:22, 23 came to mind. 

The Holy Spirit produces a different kind of fruit: unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You won’t find any law opposed to fruit like this. Galatians 5:22, 23 (VOICE)

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Galatians 5:22, 23 (MSG)

So, am I a fruit producer? Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to work in my life, so that I can produce fruit? Or am I just a tree that grows leaves and “looks pretty”? 

The only way to be a fruit producer is to study God’s Word and allow it to impact my life. To create a positive day, I need to be a fruit producer. 

Intimately and Fully Acquainted

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought). Psalm 1:6 (AMP)

God charts the road you take. The road they take is Skid Row. Psalm 1:6 (MSG)

The Lord is intimately acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is destroyed. Psalm 1:6 (CEB)

As the Hebrew hath it yet more fully, "The Lord is knowing the way of the righteous." He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may be often in mist and darkness, yet the Lord knoweth it. If it be in the clouds and tempest of affliction, he understandeth it. He numbereth the hairs of our head; he wilt not Suffer any evil to befall us. "He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:10. The Treasury of David

Intimately and fully acquainted. Constantly looking on their way. God knows exactly what is happening in my life, nothing comes as a surprise to God. He knew me before I was born.... 49 years ago today! 

God knew about me and He knows about me... but more than just knowing ABOUT me, He wants to KNOW me. He wants to get acquainted with me. And I can have a relationship with God because of His gift of salvation. Since I placed my trust and faith in God I am His child. 

God knows about me. God knows me. God has a plan specifically designed for me. 

God is intimately and fully acquainted with me—that FACT makes my day positive—indeed! 

“Spring Tree”

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 1. Here is what I learned.

And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. Psalm 1:3 (AMP)

They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do. Psalm 1:3 (GNT)

Wither: disgrace, dishonor, lightly esteem, come to nothing, make vile, drop down, languish, wither and fall, fade.

I live in Illinois, and very Fall, the leaves turn beautiful colors and then fall off the trees, leaving behind bare branches. To me, the trees during the winter months look dead. The trees are simply a bunch of brown, grey sticks. No beauty. No life showing. 

In contrast to the Winter trees, are the Spring trees. The bright green leaves begin to spout and it seems like overnight the trees are full of green lush leaves. The evidence of life has returned. 

I want to be a “Spring Tree”, one with green lushes leaves that are bright evidence of the life within... the life is supplied by God. No matter what season of life I’m in, a dark, painful Winter, growing pains of Spring, fun, joyous Summer, or cool, colorful Fall, I can still produce the lushes green leaves of peaceful life—if I remain grounded in God’s Word. 

To create a positive day and be “Spring Tree”, I must not only read and study God’s word, but allow it to take root in my soul and life. 

Multitude of Happiness

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Eighteen of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 1. Here's what Treasure I found today.

Can a person really find true happiness? The answer is “yes”, if that person is looking in the right place.

Look at Psalm 1:1.

Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. (AMP)

The word for “blessed” embraces all that is supposed to constitute real happiness. It’s the fullness of happiness. And this word is plural, so it means “blessednesses” —multitude of happiness is available! 

How do we get this “multitude of happiness”?  Psalm 1:1 gives a list of where happiness CAN NOT be found! 

“Walks not”. That is the “happy person” does not make it a habit to follow the conduct, or lifestyle of the ungodly -- those people without God. 

“in the counsel of the ungodly.” Don’t take advise from those who don’t know God. Period. 

“Nor stands”. Has the same attitude; or in this case.. does not have the same attitude.

“of sinners”. Remember we are all born sinners. But those that trust God, should not be continuing in their sinful ways. The mind set should not be to continue in sin. 

“nor sits down”. Take up dwelling. 

“where the scornful gather.” “Scornful” means those who mock, deride, scoff; those who treat virtue and religion with contempt.  

Notice the progression here. First, follow or take on their lifestyle, want to “look like” the ungodly. Next, comes the attitude. The mind set of the ungodly. Then you move in... and take up resident with the ungodly. It happens slowly. Next you are surrounded by those that mock God and his absolute standards. 

The Psalmist is warning... don’t DO IT! Those that do not know God do not have “multitude of happiness”.  Those that don’t love God and follow God may “seem” happy, but they are searching for happiness in things and people and are always disappointed. The only true happiness and abundant happiness is found in the true source of joy—God Himself.

A multitude of happiness creates a positive day, and I need to make sure I’m searching for it in the only place it can be found—God and God alone.