How To Be Blessed

How To Be Blessed

Psalm 1:1-6

A 47 year old Austrian man named Karl Rabeder gave away his entire 4.7 million dollar fortune. He came to the realization that his wealth and lavish spending were keeping him from real life and happiness. He told the Daily Telegraph that he had the feeling he was working as a slave for things that the did not wish for or need. It was the biggest shock in my life when I realized how horrible, soulless and without feeling the "five star lifestyle is. His money now funds several charities that he set up to help people in Latin America. (Source: Our Daily Bread)

Many people think that if they just had more money they would be happy. Karl Rabeder would tell you that money does not bring happiness. In fact there a majority of people who win the lottery would tell you that their life was better before their financial windfall.

It seems that everyone is looking for happiness. Some think they will find it in the right job. Some think that if they find the right companion they will be happy. Some are so desperate to find happiness that they look to a bottle or some recreational drug. Many people spend money that they don't have on bigger houses and newer cars in an attempt to fill that void that is in their life. For a while it may seem that they have found what they were looking for. But then the new wears off and their search continues.

I come bearing good news... you can find happiness, in fact you can find something better than happiness ...you can be blessed. Sometimes blessing is translated as "happy", but it's more than that. Blessing is an inner satisfaction that does not depend on outward circumstances for happiness. When we walk with God we can find "joy unspeakable and full of glory".

In this first Psalm God tells us how that we can be blessed. I would like to walk through this passage and consider that very thought... "How To Be Blessed".

The Psalmist tells us that "Those who do not follow the advice of the wicked will be blessed", "Those who refuses to stand with sinners will be blessed", "Those who will not join in with the mockers will be blessed" and "Those who delight in the Law of God and meditate upon it will be blessed."

I don't know about you but I want to be blessed. Fortunately God's word tells us how this is possible. As we consider "How To Be Blessed" let us first see that:

I. IN ORDER TO BE BLESSED WE MUST BE IN THE RIGHT PLACES v1

In this verse we are told …how to walk, where to stand and where to sit. There is also a contrast provided in this Psalm. We are given some insight into the danger facing the ungodly people.

In order to experience the blessings of God there are some people and places that we must avoid. Look to verse 1a as we examine the fact that:

A. WE MUST WALK IN THE RIGHT PLACES - v1a "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly"

In order to walk in the right places we must avoid the advice of the ungodly. There may be people that you love and have trusted for years who would give you advice. Though their intentions may be good, their advice most likely will be contrary to the will of God.

So where should we go to get counsel in this life? ? We can look to people like Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Solomon, Mathew, Luke, John, Peter & Paul. The reason we can trust these men is that they are simply conveying the divinely inspired, holy, infallible Word of Almighty God. If you are having problems, if you are looking for answers, don't look to the people of this world, Look to God!

Not only must we walk in the right places... verse 1 also tells us that:

B. We Must Stand In The Right Places – v1b "nor standeth in the way of sinners"

The NLT says “Oh, the joys of those who do stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers” - There are some people who profess to be saved but still go where they used to go. They proclaim that they have been born again but they still do what they used to do. There are countless people who claim that they have been transformed by the power of God but they have no desire to be in God’s house, they do not long to fellowship with God’s people, they fail to praise God’s Holy name, they do not serve Him faithfully, they never study His Word and they neglect to call on His name. Even worse they run with the people of this world and do things that are contrary to God's will.