Devotion for 1 January 2008

PSALM 1

Possibly by David

The Kind of Person God Likes

Psalm 1:1 (NIV) “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” In the Message version, Psalm 1 starts off with “How well God must like you – you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.”

The person that God likes is one that steers away from the draw of sinners & sin and instead, is drawn to God’s Word – he / she is delighted by the Word! To take delight is to be thrilled – imagine how your eyes suddenly widened, your face beams into a happy smile and your heart feels a nice, fuzzy warmth. Yes, that’s how God wants us to feel when we approach the Word. What we like, we would think more about it, be fascinated and amazed by it: and that’s the very meaning of meditation. Meditation was never meant to be a deliberate, laborious chore, it’s a natural connection to what we are drawn to.

Some of us get hooked on pursuing the next episode of the latest drama serial or Harry Potter books or computer games. These are actually poor substitutes of what would truly delight your soul.

The one that has God’s pleasure & smile is one whose thoughts always gravitate back to Him. He is the Core of all that your life revolves around – studies, boy/gal friend, ministry, career or even petty nonsense. God is your hot pursuit. He is your Hero and never fails to light up your face with a smile of pleasure.

References for the short write-ups for all 5 books of Psalms:
1. Psalms, classic Libray Edition by Marilyn Hickey
2. ‘Be Worshipful’ / ‘Be Exalted’ by Warren W. Wiersbe