Seeing what’s happening around us, in other words, the conflicts and wars in the Middle East; the financial problems in Europe; and the financial problems here in the U.S., where the government is at the brink of a shut down, unemployment continues to grow, and foreclosures continue to increase on a daily basis, I would say that many people find it very difficult to be optimistic. The reality is that all of these things combined cause the majority of people to develop a pessimistic attitude; in other words a defeatist attitude. And developing and nurturing a defeatist attitude is something that we can’t afford to do. We can’t develop and nurture a defeated mind, because to do so will stop us from seeing and appreciating the blessings that God pours out upon His people. And I don’t know about you, but I can tell you that I don’t want to miss a single blessing. But now the question that we must ask is: how can we avoid a state of defeat? This will be our theme for today, let’s now turn to the Word of God.
Psalm 1:1-6 - 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; 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3He 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. 4The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Something that all humans have in common is that everyone wants to be happy. All of us would love to be happy and care free, isn’t that so? However, what occurs with frequency is that the vast majority of people believe that to be happy they need to have more money, more possessions, cars, jewels, fine clothes, etc. If we conducted a survey and we asked different people what makes them happy, I'm sure that we would receive a variety of responses. We would receive different answers because a large portion of the world has heard about the word "delight or happiness"; however, they really don’t know what it is. In other words, they have never experienced the meaning of these words in their life. As I said at the beginning, there are a number of people that lead a defeated life. There are a number of people who though rich materially, they are in fact weak beggars. How can we prevent this from happening to us? Let’s begin answering our question by analyzing the meaning the word "delight." The word “delight” is defined as: “a high degree of gratification”[1]. And it’s a word synonymous with happiness and joy.
In the verses that we are exploring today we see that we are told: “…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; 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night…” As we can see, in this small portion of the scriptures we find two things that are of the utmost importance. In this small portion of the scriptures we find that there is a special blessing for all of those that remain faithful to God. This is something that our Lord further affirms in Luke 11:28 when we read: “…Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it...”
So here we find a blessing from God, but we also find what we must do to avoid developing a negative and/or pessimistic attitude. What must we do? The first thing that we have to do is to realize that we are not of this world. This is something that is well reflected in the words of the Lord as found in John 15:19 when we read: “…If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you…” Once we accept Christ as our King and Savior our citizenship changes. We are now citizens of God’s Kingdom. I don’t know about you, but I’m, very, very happy, to have changed my citizenship. I’m very, very happy, to have been saved and to now be part of His Kingdom. Tell the person sitting next to you: delight yourself in God’s Kingdom.
How can we experience the joy of living in God’s Kingdom? The scriptures here tell us: “…But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night…” Before proceeding I want to clarify something. When David wrote this psalm, the people lived under the covenant of the law, and that’s why we see that he says: “…his delight is in the law…” We don’t live under the covenant of the law; we live under the new covenant, the covenant of grace. This is something that is clearly declared by the Lord in Luke 22:19-20 when we read: “…And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you…”
However, just because we live under the covenant of grace, this doesn’t mean that we don’t have to obey God’s laws, as it’s only through God’s laws that we learn what God despises. This is something that is better expressed by the apostle in Romans 7:6-7 when we read: “…But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. 7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet…” Therefore, in our case is not that we delight in the law, but rather that we delight in His presence. Tell the person sitting next to you: delight in God’s presence.
Before the covenant of grace, regular people couldn’t come before God’s presence, but now we can. The veil that separated man from God's presence was torn and removed by our Lord’s perfect sacrifice on the cross. The Holy Spirit now dwells in us by the grace of God. What am I trying to say with all of this? What I'm saying is that when we remain in God’s will, we are in essence being governed by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And this is something that should delight and bring great happiness to us. We should be delighted to know that we serve the supreme King, the righteous King, the kind King. We live in God’s kingdom, but unfortunately many have yet to realize this. Why have many not realized this?
The reason why many have failed to realize that they live in God’s kingdom is because there are many who think that to live in God’s kingdom, you have to die. And if you think this way, you're correct but only to a certain extent. I say this because to live in God’s kingdom you must die, but not physically; to live in God’s kingdom you have to die to sin. This is something that is well reflected in Colossians 3:5 when we read: “…Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…”, and once we die to sin, we then begin to live within God’s kingdom. What reward is there for living within God’s kingdom?
Continuing with our study we read: “…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. 4The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away…” Let’s meditate for a moment on what we’ve just read. What does “…a tree Planted by the rivers of water… mean?
A tree planted beside the waters is a tree that gets constant nourishment. It’s a tree that develops strong and deep roots; it’s a tree that has at its disposal all of the resources that it needs to stay alive and healthy. Regardless of what may be happening around us, every person who deposits their faith in God and delights in His presence will always find the happiness, and peace that only God can give. In other words, just as the tree planted beside the waters, we will receive the constant nourishment that our faith needs. It’s as the Lord tells us in John 4:13-14 when we read: “…Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life…”
Here we are also told: “…That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper…” When we reflect on this brief detail, we can confidently conclude that even the worst moments of our life can’t affect us, when we live within God’s kingdom. They can’t affect us because there is a much more powerful force within us. Look carefully at what the Lord tells us in John 14:23 when we read: “…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him…” When we live within the God’s kingdom, we can fully trust that God’s power will protect and care for us.
The Word tells us: “…And whatever he does shall prosper…” I want to make a brief pause here. Generally speaking, when we speak about prosperity, the first thing that comes to people’s mind is economic prosperity or wealth. As I’ve said on other occasions, there is nothing wrong with wanting to prosper or succeed, but remember that happiness is much more than just wealth. As I said at the beginning, there are many rich beggars in the world.
Remember that money can buy pleasure, but not love. Money can buy the show, but not the joy. Money can buy a companion, but not a friend. Money can buy a woman, but not a wife. Money can buy a house, but not a home. Money can buy medicine, but not health. Money can buy books, but not wisdom. Money can buy tranquilizers, but not peace. Money can buy a crucifix, but not a savior. Money can buy land, but not heaven. So if you think that prosperity is about money then listen to what the Lord tells you today: “…Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance…” (Isaiah 55:1-2).
What should we seek to proper in more than money? We should seek to prosper in God’s Word. Why should we seek to prosper in God’s Word? We must seek to prosper in God’s Word because God's word is what will sustain and help us during difficult times. Look at how this is clearly stated Isaiah 41:13 when we read: “…For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you…”
We must seek to prosper in God’s Word because the Word of God is the only thing that satisfies our spiritual needs, and what helps us get up when we fall. Look at how this is well reflected in Psalms 145:14 when we read: “…The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down…”
We must seek to prosper in God’s Word because the Word of God is the only thing that replaces the abominable thirst for the things of this world, with the desire to love and truly serve God. This is something that is clearly illustrated in Matthew 6:33 when we read: “…But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you…”
We must seek to prosper in God’s Word because the Word of God is the only thing that strengthens us, letting us know that when we are faithful, there is nothing that the enemy can do that will prevail against us. Look at how this is something that is well reflected in Isaiah 54:17 when we read: “…No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD…”
We must seek to prosper in God’s Word because the Word of God is the only thing that gives us the victory over all things, regardless of how difficult or how hard a situation may seem. This is something that is extremely clear in Deuteronomy 28:6-8 when we read: “…“Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7“The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8“The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you…”
In conclusion; in the verses that we are exploring today we find that we are told: “…Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish…” God knows and wants to show you the path to follow so that you may avoid developing a defeatist attitude.
God's Word clearly shows us that once we accept Jesus Christ as our King and Savior, we then begin to exist within God’s kingdom, and we can’t allow anything to take away the joy that this produces in our life. And to achieve this joy all we need to do is to surrender to Him all of our concerns; surrender to Him all our needs and/or sufferings. In other words, live according to God’s will, with an unshakable faith, and standing firm on God's promises. Once we completely surrender to God’s will, we will then realize that no matter the circumstances or problems, we are under His protection.
We live within God’s kingdom, and we serve a righteous and loving King. God’s kingdom is here right now! Joy and happiness are here right now!
Do you want to live in God’s kingdom? Accept Him today as your personal Lord and Savior, and you will begin to immediately live in His kingdom.
[1] Merriam - Webster Dictionary
