Readings for today: 2 Kings 22:3-23:30, Acts 21:37-22:16, Psalms 1, Proverbs 18:11-12
“Blessed is the one who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers…”
Cable news. Twitter feeds. Facebook posts. Instagram stories. YouTube video channels. Newspapers. Google. Email. Texts. Snapchats. Every day, we are immersed in a sea of information. Most of it reflecting the “counsel of the wicked.” Most of it promoting the “way of sinners.” Most of it beckoning us to “sit in the seat of scoffers.” We cannot escape it. We cannot ignore it. We cannot insulate ourselves against it. It shapes our hearts and minds. It squeezes us into the world’s mode. It’s why we find ourselves so anxious and depressed and afraid. It’s why we find ourselves turning to the ways of the world to get our way. Accumulate power and wealth and influence and control. We want to stay safe. We want to be secure. We want to remain comfortable. We believe we deserve it.
There is another way. The way of the righteous. The one who takes counsel with the Lord. Who follows the way of Christ. Who sits down at the feet of his or her God. “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Does this image reflect your life? Is God’s Word your delight? Do you meditate on it day and night? Is your life like a flowering tree? Yielding the fruit of blessing for those around you? Your family? Friends? Co-workers? Neighbors? Have you prospered spiritually? Have your grown in wisdom and knowledge and honor as you’ve walked in faithfulness to Jesus?
“The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” The wicked are easily identified. They live for themselves. They pursue pleasure. They satisfy every desire. They do not submit their lives to Christ. On the contrary, they reject the existence of God. The recognize no authority but their own. They chase unfettered freedom only to find slavery. They live lives of quiet desperation. Struggling with despair, depression, and thoughts of self-destruction. Such is the way of the wicked which is why they are like the chaff the wind blows away. Does your life have substance to it? Eternal weight and glory? Is it full of meaning and purpose or is it empty and void?
This is why “the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” God will not be mocked. He will not allow our rebellion to stand. He will put an end to our stubbornness and pride once and for all. We will face His judgment for He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. His will reigns supreme over all He has made. We ignore Him at our peril. We take counsel against Him at our own risk. We are fools to reject Him.
Friends, God is calling you home. No matter how far you have wandered. No matter how long it has been. No matter how dark things have gotten. God is offering you His counsel. He invites you into His Presence. He longs to speak with you and share with you His heart for your life. His great desires is that you would thrive. You would become that tree planted by streams of living water. Branches overflowing with fruit. Leaves in full bloom. Turn off the technology. Turn off the television. Put aside the newspapers. Pick up God’s Word. Let Him fill you with His wisdom. Then you will prosper in all that you do.
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 23:31-25:30, Acts 22:17-23:10, Psalms 2, Proverbs 18:13