“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2
Everyone who loves God and reads this passage desires to be the person described here. I have never encountered a believer who said, “I want to read the Bible less.” Or, “I don’t really care to meditate on Scripture.” No. Followers of Christ don’t say things like that. Why? Because deep inside we know that in order to become the person we want to be, and in order to become the person God desires us to be, we must make Him our priority. The chief way we do this (as illustrated in this passage) is by making his Word our priority – reading it, meditating upon it, and doing what it says.
Often times we rob ourselves of the good things of God because we fail to follow the simple directives provided in Scripture. We read it, but seem to not believe it. The Bible says that people who don’t follow the practices of the wicked, or hang out with sinners or mockers, but who delight in the law (the Bible) and meditate on it all day – that these people will be blessed. Furthermore, it says this:
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:3
Do we believe this? Are we living it out? I don’t know about you, but I want to live an above average Christian life. And here’s one thing I can say with 100% certainty: I have never encountered a person whose Christian walk I admired who was not a man or woman who placed a high premium on Bible intake and prayer. Never.
We are not very far into the new year. So, if you haven’t yet begun a structured Bible reading plan, why not start today? You could make this the year you read through the entire New Testament – or even the entire Bible. It really isn’t as daunting as you might think, and I promise you that it will change your life forever.
