Friday, September 7, 2012

Do You Want to Be Successful?


(Thoughts from my journal this week that I hope will encourage you)
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1

The blessed man or the successful man is the one who refuses to live (or walk) according to the wisdom of the world. He keeps far from the way sinful men live and does not join in scoffing at God by rejecting His Word as the ultimate authority by which they are to live their lives. Instead he delights in God’s Word which is true wisdom. He meditates on it day and night and is careful to do all that is written in it (Joshua 1:8). This man will prosper and have success wherever he goes. He will be like a well watered tree that never dries up even in the midst of a dry and weary land because his roots go deep and he is fed by channels of living water that the Lord has provided for Him.

Not so with the man who scoffs at God and refuses His council. He will be like chaff that the wind drives away because he has no weight and no root to ground him. He will not stand before God at the last judgment. But he will be sent away from His presence to suffer eternally for his sin because the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked (this world) will perish. What does it profit a man then if he gains the whole world (worldly success) but losses his soul? NOTHING.

Therefore if you carry the name Christian: Walk in His Path. Stand on His Word. Let the world scoff at you like it does Him. Trust in His promises. Walk in His wisdom knowing that you will be most blessed and truly successful in the sight of God. Have confidence that your soul will be secure safe away from the destruction of sinful man at the last day. For the man God knows has His loving & fellowship for all eternity.

My prayer today:
Lord, show me where I am walking according to the council of the world. Please Holy Spirit, convict me to turn from my own wisdom and instead to turn to your Word and find true wisdom to live by. Please grant me the discipline to meditate on your Word day and night and to wait on you. Thank you for your promise to never leave me nor forsake me. Grant me strength and courage to stand firm against the world’s scoffing. Fill me with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that I will walk in a way that pleases you and truly become a successful man for your glory. Amen.

Thankfully in Grace,
Shannon Compton
BCC Life Groups Pastor