Gina Caswell Kelly
“Blessed is the one who does not walk among the wicked, or stand in the places that sinners stand, or sit in the company of those who mock God.” Psalm 1:1
This verse in Psalm teaches us a couple of things. Number one is pretty obvious. The writer could have said “Blessed is the one who walks among God’s people.” But he didn’t. I believe he worded this Psalm the way he did because he wanted us to realize that following God is a choice. It doesn’t just happen. We have to choose to not walk among the wicked. That is a choice that has to be made daily. Sometimes, several times a day. When we make that choice, our lives are smoother, there is more peace in our hearts, and we have the guidance of the One that knows the path.
The other thing to notice in this verse is the progression. Think about it. First you are just kind of walking around in the area where people are making bad decisions. You are just kind of thinking “It will be okay this one time.”
The next thing you know, you are no longer moving through the area. You are standing still. We are a much easier target for the devil when we are not moving. Standing close to bad choices. No longer moving quickly and carefully through the mine field. You stand still long enough to learn a little more about what the devil wants you to hear.
The next progression is to sit in the company of those who mock God. Once you have sat down there, you are already getting comfortable. When my buddy Gale’s son Casey was very young, she came over to my house one day with Casey. Casey kept pushing on his mom’s shoulders to sit back. He said, “Are you going to sit back?” He knew that if she got comfortable, they would stay and he could play a little bit longer. He was little bitty and he recognized what happens when you get comfortable. You stay there longer than you should. You get comfortable around things that maybe you should, in truth be very uncomfortable with.
Is this not a good picture of what we have allowed in our country? We started off walking, then we stood and the next thing we knew we were all sitting back and wondering what the heck had happened. I can tell you what happened. We all got way to comfortable with ideas and actions that are opposite of what God wants for us.
The good news here is that you can get you self up out of that chair and you can make the choice to walk away and not walk among. You can choose to no longer stand in the places that are not where God wants us. You can make the conscious choice that you will never again sit in the company of those who choose to mock God.
The next verse gives us an idea of what would happen if we would willingly and knowingly choose God.
“Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His Word day and night. 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 will prosper.”
Can you see the joy of choosing to follow God and His ways? Can you see the beautiful picture of a life, of a family’s life who is daily choosing God?
Oh my goodness! Choose daily, minute by minute if you have to, to follow God! It will make the difference!
