Righteousness

Righteousness

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper. But this is not true of the wicked. They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1

Psalm 1 is rich in word pictures. It invites us to envision a crossroads, two paths, a Bible, a tree, a stream, fruit, green leaves, and garbage blowing in the wind.

The crossroads reminds us that we have a choice to make. There are only two paths in life—God’s way of righteousness or the way of rebellion and destruction. Which are we on?

The images of the person who chooses God’s way are rich indeed. Someone who spends time in God’s Word is likened to a tree, planted by a river, that bears fruit and prospers. In other words, he is growing, lasting, and bringing life to others. This person develops love for the Bible because spending time in God’s Word is the way she figures out how to follow God. Meditating means reading and thinking about what we’ve read, looking to apply it to our lives. The Bible brings us great hope, and the more we know of God’s Word, the more wisdom we’ll have to handle the daily decisions of motherhood in particular and life in general.

The path of the wicked is not pretty—it is a picture of garbage. Chaff is an outer shell that has to be removed to expose the valuable grain inside. In Bible times, after stalks of grain were cut and crushed, they were thrown into the air. The chaff blew off as garbage, while the good grain fell to the earth.

We all have a choice to make. Will we choose godliness or garbage?

Father,

Thank you that you promise to bless the person who chooses your way. May we choose the way of righteousness, not the way of garbage. Amen.