Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 1:1-6
Ps 1:1-6
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. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Prov 1:7-9
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
Paul tells us that evil companionships destroy good morals. Most of us tend to act and think like the people with whom we associate. We become desensitized to the immorality, to the bad language and even to the violence that is so prevalent in our society. We need to remember that our associations may be people we work with, or we do sports or hobbies with, or it may be the people we are with so much on television or on the videos and computers. These influence us.
We are told that to become a better tennis player, we need to play against those who are better than us. The same is true in other things as well, including building our spiritual lives. The more we associate with people who understand the Bible better than we or those who put being like Jesus as their top priority or those who know how to really trust God, the more we will be like them.
This principle is not limited to young people. While it is true that young people are influenced by their peers, so are we, at any age. This is true for those who work in an office, or in a factory or anywhere else. On the other hand, we are not to totally avoid being around people who do not put God first, because we will never lead anyone to Christ if we do not get to know them and gain their respect.
O Lord God, you are the one who gave me my life, who gives me breath and who keeps my heart beating. I love you; I thank you and I praise you for your goodness and your grace shown to me. I know that I have done some bad things in my life and that I have not always put you first nor have I always trusted you as I should. Thank you for forgiving me, even though I do not deserve it. Help me to be as forgiving to others as you are to me. Give your peace to those who are troubled and hurting. Give healing to the sick. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
