85. Psalm 1:1

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.
Psalm 1:1

The sinner becomes increasingly worse when the effects of sin retard the growth of the soul; numbing it to its damned condition. It begins with a walk down the path of sin, a walk first thought to be just a stroll that turns into a wayward wandering that continues to sear the conscience of understanding. This walk becomes a stand in the way of sinners when the sin has taken root and pride now cripples the sinner of humble obedience. "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.(a)" But he who now stands in his sin unwilling to move can by no other way be moved but by bit and bridle, yielding the sinner to the commands of God; in the case of the non-christian it is punishment for wickedness; in the case of the believer it is discipline that maturity in Christ may continue its path no longer hindered by the traps of sin, not to break us, but to make us in the likeness of our God. Finally the obstinate stand in the sinners path takes a seat in the chair of mockery. Now the sinner is seated in the worst position of all, mocking or scoffing at God. Thinking so highly of himself and so lowly of the things of God the sinner now sits in contempt and active disbelief of the justice and good will of God, teaching others to do the same either by intentional misguidance or unintentional persuasion by example. Note that when we sin against God in this unrepentant manner, having in ourselves a dullness of mind considering the sin to be of non-consequence, we then directly approve of such disobedience and teach others to do the same. Such will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven (b), yea, they will still arrive and enter through with their sins forgiven, but I believe there will be disappointment within that can not be fully understood this side of heaven when one will be considered least in God's kingdom.

Blessed! however, are those who do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly but separate themselves from the guidance of those who do not seek the things of God, but rather turn in response to God's elect calling to, "Be holy: for I the LORD your God [am] holy." Separated and set apart as sacred, different than the world, loving and caring for things the world does not, being imitators of the Lord Jesus Christ. Love not only emotional, no, love rather that is emotional and intelligent; love that acts. A love for the grace of God and His divine mercy on us and a love for His Justice, that He is Judge and He is King of all. Love and Respect for the God who loved us so undeservedly. He does not delight in the sins of his youth, But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (c). Not under the law being judged by the law but under the blood of Christ delighting in the justice of God, both knowing and enjoying the obedience that comes from a heart restored by the transforming power of the Spirit within you. With the negative as well, that when the soul sins against God, the delight is removed and the anxiety and sorrow replaces the bliss that recently occupied the heart. Note, it is time to remove this positive thinking psychology that tells you no matter what you do, that you are you are a good person; that guilt is a sort of restraint of our society to conform us to a pattern. Lies! Guilt is the fabric of the conscience on our mind that tells us something is wrong. If you cut your finger, it hurts responding to the danger to protect you. And God in His love and mercy has given us a conscience that we too may hurt when we act in disobedience against Him, telling us and reminding us that something is wrong and we are in danger. Do not be swift to numb the paining effects of the heart, rather learn what your God is telling you, repent and continue down the road that is both straight and narrow. Finally, keep in consideration that the blessings of God and not what we may perceive as blessings. If we are obedient than we will be blessed, this is a promise of God, but we can act so foolishly when we expect God to bless us the way we want to be blessed and entirely miss His blessing on the way. Blessing shall come, that is a fact, but it is in God's timing and in His way. Obey out of love and look for the blessing in your life, it will never be what you expect but always what you need (which may or may not seem good to you at the time).

Ok, I have gone on far to long,
Be blessed in the peace that comes from obedience and love for the only God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

(a) Psalm 32:9 (b) Matthew 5:19 (c) Psalm 1:2