The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 1 June 2019 – Mark The Difference

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TOPIC: Mark The Difference

READ: Psalm 1:1-6 King James Version (KJV)

1. Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord , And in His law he meditates day and night.
3. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
4. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

THE MESSAGE:

The first Psalm contrasts the way of the righteous (the blessed) and the wicked (the cursed). This contrast is clearly shown in the Book of Jeremiah 17:5,7:

“5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.”

According to the Psalmist, there is a way the righteous will not walk, and a seat he will not sit on (verse 1). Additionally the righteous takes pleasure in studying and meditating on the word of God and applying its principles in his daily living. His faith built on the word of God continually nourishes him like a tree planted by the streams of water, the result being that whatever he does prospers (verse 3b; Joshua 1:8).

But the way of the ungodly (the wicked) is markedly different.
The Psalmist sums his way as chaff. When wheat grain is thrown in the air, the chaff is blown away by the wind, to be consumed by fire (Isaiah 5:24). So is the way of the ungodly. In God’s scheme of eternity, he will be separated away from the righteous.

The Lord knows the way of the righteous (verse 6). You have a choice to make today: whether to choose the path of righteousness or the way of the wicked. Your choice determines your end.

PRAYER: Holy Spirit of God, search me and know my heart and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of returning wholly to the Lord.