Tree Or Chaff? Tall Timber Or Dust?

We are told in life that it’s unfair to compare ourselves to others, say if I was to compare myself to a great musician like Andre Rieu, well I would come up an abysmal failure, or my leadership skills with Bill Hybels again I would not fit the bill, or my management skills with Stephen Tindall again I just wouldn’t cut it.

For any of us to go around comparing ourselves to others sets us up for a fall, we will always find others who can do something better. Interestingly though God has given us all special personalities and abilities that we can use, to enrich the lives of others and his Kingdom. He has a reason for us all being here and we all have a role to fulfil.

In Psalm One we see that God compares two things in people. We also see what the outcome of life style decisions brings. We see that God is interested in whether we have a right relationship with him or not. The question the psalmist uses is are we righteous? Or have we turned our backs on God and are what’s called wicked.

I know that in 2009 the word wicked, means something different to what it did in the time this was written and even in the sixties when I was born. The term wicked has recently meant cool, stylish, flash, really good and for any former flower children, hip and happening. Interesting how words go in and out of meaning and fashion.

Its real meaning of the word wicked is evil or guilty.

So there are two types of people; those who are in relationship with God and those who aren’t.

Now the truth of the matter is that there are a lot of people who choose not to have a relationship with God who are decent sorts. They are not the type that you would classify as wicked or evil, but the truth is that their lives would still be better if they had a spiritual connection with God. Personally I don’t see these people blowing away like chaff and in some cases they live more upright and wholesome lives than some believers. As believers we should take a look at these people and think about the height of our socks.

Remember though there are eternal consequences to turning a back to God.

So let’s take a look at these two types of people.

1) The person who is blessed:

The first line of the Psalm can also read “Oh the happiness of the man.” Now this bloke and I use the word bloke, and I shouldn’t, I should say this person because these psalms apply to men and women alike, is blessed because he or she keeps sensible company. He does not seek advice from evil people, he does not stand around with those who’ve missed the mark, and he doesn’t hang around with those who blather on, pulling others apart.

Its one of life’s truths we become like those we spend our time with. That’s why people who want to learn a trade work with a Tradesman whoops person, who has that trade, if you want to become a teacher you go to teachers college, learn to drive a car – get driving lessons.

We have to be careful with the company we keep, seeds of ideas planted today or tomorrow can one day explode into growth blowing our lives apart.

Today we can add things like this; blessed is the person who does not read rubbish and gossip in magazines, ring dodgy 0900 numbers or read dodgy novels, check out internet porn, have cyber or text relationships they know are wrong or watch sexually explicit or excessively violent TV, DVD, MP3’s or Movies.

Some say they can handle this stuff and not fall. Experience says that they’ve tripped and fallen; but their head is yet to hit the concrete.

The other reason the blessed are blessed is because instead of their looking in the wrong direction they are looking into God’s law, not just looking but delighting in it.

It can take awhile for this to happen.

To get to the point of delighting in God’s word took me awhile. There were times when it confused me; I felt it judged me, that I felt offended by it. This came down to where I was, those places where I was in my own life.

Many are offended by the scriptures, by the gospels; this is because they are out of where they can be in their relationship with God.

The word, the law points out ways of living that by their very nature keep followers out of strife. There have to be blessings in that! A quick show of hands who here can attest to having a better life since they started reading this book and even more since they started putting the Word into practice?