A beautiful, attainable vision

Psalm 1 reads,
"1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.
2 But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper.
4 But this is not true of the wicked. They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction."

This is an anonymous Psalm, but a beautiful one filled with wisdom for us today.

To begin, there is joy to be found in the life lived for God. What is joy? Joy is the attitude that comes from knowing that as I seek the Lord in my life, I don't have to fear man. Joy is the attitude that comes from knowing that He causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him. It is the attitude that comes from being in His presence through worship, silence, praise, and adoration. JOY IS ATTAINABLE as I seek the Lord, as I respond to His Word, and as I worship. So "oh the joys of those who..." - joy is attainable.

But joy is connected to fleeing from evil here - joy is not just the pursuit of God but also running from evil. Three requirements to bring about joy are: 1) don't follow (or seek out) the advice of wicked people; 2) don't stand together with sinners (people who knowingly live rebellious lives against God - afer all, we all are sinners); and 3) don't accept the modern day habit of "scoffing" (making fun of people, putting people down, insulting).

But look at what the joyful life produces - pleasure in serving God and hearing Him. There is great joy to be found when we know that we are pleasing the One who created us and loves us. God created us to be unselfish, giving creatures - our sin nature has produced the opposite. But furthermore, there is delight in His "law" - His word - His voice. Just as a wife is soothed by the calming voice of her husband, so God's word in all its forms can soothe the believer who hears His voice. There is joy here. But it goes further.

This lifestyle of running from evil and pursuing God produces a productive life, where like a fruitful tree, the seasons of life are received in joy. The person who is like a tree understands that there are seasons of barreness and fruitfulness, of pain and pleasure - but that each season is beautiful because they are firmly planted in the Lord.

And throughout these seasons, no matter what, there is prosperity and success - not material, but rather spiritual success. God looks at those who live their lives pursuing Him, and no matter what happens to them as they pursue Him, He considers them successful. As Hebrews 11:16 so beautifully points out, the people who live like this make God proud - "God is not ashamed to be called their GOD" - wow, I pray that the Lord is proud of me, that He is glad that I tell others that He is my father.

But if we don't have joy, if we don't pursue God, if we take the advice of the wicked and stand with them and adapt our culture's negative attitudes, then verses 4-5 hold our ending.
1) Meaningless existence - like the chaff that is carried away by the wind.
2) Condemnation - there is only judgment at the end.
3) Misplacement - we will be permanently lost, with no place in God's presence with God's people - hell. Hell wasn't made for us and it is not intended to be our end. But it exists and is first and foremost the absence of God. May we pursue God and avoid this epitaph!

A final word in verse 6 - as we pursue God, He lovingly watches over us, empowering us and making us fruitful. What an incredible thing to know that God watches my life! BUT if we don't pursue God, and we rather pursue wickedness, there is only destruction. You cannot deceive or fool God. He tells us that any other pursuit outside of Him results in death. The life best lived is the life that is lived in pursuit of God and His ways. The meaning of life, the meaningful life, is found in obeying God and pursuing His plans for our lives. Only then will we find out what the Psalmist meant when he wrote, "Oh the joys of those who..." - may you and I pursue the joyful life.