Daily Devotional

-November 19, 2020-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-The Blessed Man-

“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; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 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.”

(Psalm 1:1-3).

One of my friends where I worked shared, “I’m too blessed to be stressed.” It blessed my heart then and I have remembered it ever since. It is so simple yet so deep and powerful. In today’s text the psalmist is discussing how the blessed man lives and the promises God gives him. As we have shared before, in Scripture God details what not to do, then what to do.

• What he does not do – The blessed man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He doesn’t listen to the advice of unsaved people, whether friends or family. He does not stand in the path of sinners. He chooses not to ally himself with the causes of the world that do not impact the souls of of people. And he does not sit in the seat of the scornful or scoffers. He chooses to avoid compromising with sin or the world. He chooses godly friends.

• What he does do – The Blessed man delights in the Word of God and meditates in it day and night. He does not read the Word because he has to but because he wants to. He loves the Lord and His Word; He is hungry for it. And He is always ready to share it with others.

• What God promises to him – The blessed man is assured of God promises of fruitfulness, longevity, and prosperity. Only God can make us fruitful in a dry, barren land; only God can give a long life in the midst of a pandemic and at all times, good and bad; and only God can make us prosper even in difficult times. Joseph is an example of a blessed man. God did all three of these things for him. He prospered him in Potiphar’s house, in the prison house, and in Pharaoh’s house. He lived a long (110 years) life and was fruitful in all his ways. He fed the whole world in the seven years of famine. Jacob his father said, “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall” (Genesis 49:22).

There are many blessed men and women in the Bible. God honored them because they honored Him. Of these men and women of faith it says in Hebrews 11:38, “of whom the world was not worthy.” Are you a blessed man? Are you too blessed to be stressed? God promises you fruitfulness, longevity, and prosperity in this life and in the one to come. Don’t delight in the world but in the Word.

Have a blessed day as a blessed man. Stay safe and healthy.