God's Glory Is In My Choosing The Right Road

Mid-Week Message/Devotion

May 16, 2018

Psalm 1

God’s Glory Is In My Choosing the Right Road

“Sing psalms! Let joy resound!” – Psalm 98

What’s a Psalter?

“The book of Psalms, or psalter, is at the heart of the Bible. It contains 150 singable, God-inspired songs. These songs were written hundreds of years ago in the Hebrew language.”

copied from web search for psalter.

My understanding is that the Psalter is Israel’s prayer book and hymnal. That in itself is an interesting bit of information and it sure makes good sense. I have received more than one copy of The Book of Psalm Illustrated, published by Abrams, New York, N.Y. through the years as gifts. I treasure them. If we read the psalms with an eye for the poetry, we soon realize how so many are put to music. Other readings come forth as prayers of thanksgiving, pleas for mercy and others as prayers of praise.

Shall we not look closer at the Psalter (Israel’s prayer book and hymnal) and incorporate more of the Psalms in our worship services? What does God’s word, in Galatians 6:16 tell us? “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”

If Christianity has not emerged as the Israel of today, believers have at the least come under that umbrella via Jesus.

Our message today is from that first chapter. As I read and re-read through that chapter 1, a pervasive thought invaded my thinking and I couldn’t shake it. That is the word: CROSSROADS! For one thing it better illuminates the whys and wherefores of so many churches in the last decade or so incorporating the word crossroads in their church names.

The organization Mercy Ships and also Youth With A Mission offer “Crossroads” discipleship schools which are often used by churches and church groups, in preparation for mission trips and even mission ministries.

What are the crossroads that we are talking about in this reading?

“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;” verse 1

That would be one road!

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 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.” Verses 2-3

That would be the other road

As we journey onward in this life as believers and followers of Christ, we stand at first one crossroad and then another every day. We actually CHOOSE to travel down one road or the other. I pray that God will bless me with the ability to choose the right way at every intersection, without me having to think about it. So far, He hasn’t blessed me that way, as I wander off too often, not as often as in days gone by and thankfully not straying as far afield as some old skeletons in my closet would reveal. God simply reminds me that He has forgiven my every shortcoming and reminds me that He does not make decisions for me but gives me the resources to make better decisions for myself. Otherwise, we would simply be taking the easy way out and be puppets. The glory that God seeks is in our utilizing the resources and teachings that He makes available to us.

What delights a parent more 1) Having a child that doesn’t snitch a cookie out of the cookie jar for fear of being caught and punished – OR 2) Having a child that comes to you and asks for permission to have a cookie?

Beloved, it is not just reading and understanding the bible nor is it agreeing with sermon messages. It is in absorbing them and applying them. It is in wanting to choose the crossroad that delights the Father.

Let us pray -