Psalm 1:1-3

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Comfort with sin starts slowly. At first, you’re painfully aware of the sin in your life and the results of it. But temptation has a way of pulling us in a little at a time. The next step is that you find yourself justifying behaviors, even when you know they might be sinful. “I know it was wrong, but who wouldn’t have reacted that way!” Then from justification you move to full acceptance. From walking, to standing, to sitting in sin. This is the path that the Psalmist lays out for us, and it is a familiar path walked by many. Perhaps you too are familiar with this path.

But this path leads you down one that leaves you worn out and beat down. Notice in the psalm how the path of a sinner leads to sitting and doing nothing. But the place of the righteous is by the stream, planted and rooted. Yet, that doesn’t mean that there is no movement. Those that are planted find themselves active in every way. They are yielding fruit in season and they do not whither over time.

When we find ourselves on the path of sin, we eventually sit down, worn out. But planted by the streams of water that come through God’s Word, we are energized and blessed. Perhaps this week you might need to consider, are you walking, standing or sitting in the path of sin, or planted in the Word of God. Through repentance God can easily pull you off the path of sin and plant you firmly near his streams.