While I was working at Kmart so many years ago and was starting to read the bible and trying to understand it I started to read the book of Psalms. For some reason I could not get past Psalm 1. It was not that it was hard to understand but it really made me think of my relationship with God. David brings out several characteristics of a righteous person, (verse 1) they do not listen to the counsel of evil people. Now some have taken these words to mean that we are to avoid all contact with people who do not walk with God. This is wrong because Paul tells us that we are to live and operate in our world, but not to let the bad things of this world derail our spiritual connection to God (Rom. 12:2). Also Jesus tells us we are to be a light to the world, so that people may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:14-16).

The next part of this chapter is really interesting. I have to admit that it is not what I expected to read. Verse 2 tells us that God’s people ‘delight’ in his law. This seems to be contrary to what many Churches are teaching. Many religious leaders say that the ‘law’ is evil and bad; or that Jesus no longer asks us to keep the law. But for David the law of God (the 10 commandments) is a safe guard. It is contrast to the ‘wicked’ who David says will be ‘blown away’ (v. 4) and ‘will not stand in the judgment’ (v. 5) because they have nothing to follow. They live life thinking they know whats best.

A husband who works all the time and who does not take time off from work  and rest on the Sabbath and then wonders why he does not have a stronger relationship with his wife and children or with God. Or the wife who thinks that by cheating on her husband will add excitement to her life only to go through the agony, shame and heart ache of explaining to her children why Mommy and Daddy will be getting a divorce.  It shows the character and standard of God and ’helps’ us to know what God expects of his people who love Him. Following the law of God can only be done properly after a person has accepted that God wants us to follow it out of love; out of a desire to follow God’s will.   

Has your following God become a ritual? Do you follow just to follow? Or do you follow because God first loved you and wants the best for His children?

PS Pray for our outreach to the community starting May 1.

Blessings

Abel