Psa 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” I think it’s safe to say that most people want to be blessed; everyone wants to succeed. Few, if any, say, “I want 2009 to be the crummiest year of my life. I hope the whole year goes in the toilet, and I become a miserable failure.” As we dig into these three verses, we’ll discover a very clear map to success - a fool-proof plan for a blessed future. Let’s break it down.

First, let’s define blessed. Blessed means: fortunate, happy, well off, prosperous, highly favored, & to be envied. So what does a blessed man do? For starters, he doesn’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He doesn’t listen to or follow ungodly advice (Prov 1:10&15, 4:14-15). He seeks advice and counsel from Godly men (Prov 13:20, Ps 119:63).

Secondly, he doesn’t stand in the way of sinners (Prov 4:1, 13:15, Mt 7:13). That means he doesn’t hang out with sinners. It certainly doesn’t mean he doesn’t reach out to the lost; but that’s a lot different than fellowshipping them. Some say Jesus hung out with prostitutes and drunks. No He didn’t. He hung out with His disciples - but He witnessed to the lost. His association with sinners was always to lead them onto the righteous path (Jn 8:11). So what should we stand in? Rom 5:2, Eph 6:13, Gal 5:1, 1Cor 15:1, 2Cor 1:24, 1Thess 3:8.

Thirdly, a blessed man doesn’t sit in the seat of the scornful. That means he won’t associate himself with people that mock God or the things of God (Ps 26:4-5, Jer 15:17). It’s become politically correct these days to mock and make fun of Christians, The Bible, Jesus Christ, and Father God. However, a blessed man won’t sit in that seat. God gives grace to the humble, but He scorns the scorners (Prov 3:34).

A blessed man’s delight is in God’s Word. The word delight means: desire, pleasure, what is valuable. So a blessed man desires God’s Word; He has pleasure in God’s Word; God’s Word is valuable to him (Ps 119:97, 103, 113, 163, 165, Job 23:12). Make it a point to read through The Word of God this year! Get started now! You can do it! Did you know, that if you read the Bible at a normal pace without stopping, you would read it from cover to cover in less than 80 hours? That’s less than 2 hours of reading a week! If you just skipped “As the Stomach Turns” and the nightly news one day a week, you could read through The Bible in a year.

A blessed man meditates on God’s Word day and night. It’s interesting to note, that the word meditate means more than just thinking on. It surely does mean to ponder or study; but it also means something else. Do you want to know what it is? It means to talk, mutter, speak, or murmur! Your confession is directly tied to meditation! That’s why in Joshua 1:8, God says, “This book of the law shall not depart FROM OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! You must proclaim My Word, Joshua! You must ponder it and speak it - then do it!” In Proverbs 8:7, the word “speak” is the same word “meditate” in Psalm 1:3. Study - speak. Think on - mutter. Ponder - talk. Meditate - confess! Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What’s in your heart? Is it God’s Word? Your mouth will let you know soon enough.

“….then THOU shalt make THY way prosperous…” (Jos 1:8). Who determines what kind of future your going to have? Who determines what kind of year your going to have? According to this verse, and many others, YOU do. As we have seen, God has already laid out clearly how to walk as a blessed man. The responsibility to do so is on you - not God. So don’t blame God, your family, your friends, the government, or “bad luck”, for your problems. Choose the blessed future. Choose to be a blessed man. Refuse to lose. Choose life and blessing (Dt 30:19). We will break down Ps 1:3 thoroughly next week, Lord willing. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!