Psalms 1:1 NKJV
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;
Someone once said that if you sleep with the dogs, you will get the fleas. The company we keep greatly influences our lives and as the bible says, bad company ruins good morals. Who we walk with can derail our purpose or encourage us toward it.
When we think about the blessed man in Psalms 1, we are immediately made aware of one key thing in his life. He is careful who he walks with, who he stands with and who he sits with. This is because this man has the understanding that whomever he opens up his life to will have a great influence on him.
We can say it this way, his Thinking, Behaving, and Belonging are things he guards carefully not allowing the influence of the ungodly in these three areas of his life.
He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly meaning he knows how to discern, he can distinguish between godly and ungodly counsel. Counsel is advice and direction in life that relates to purpose.
He does not stand in the path of sinners. There is a path along which sinners walk, and this man is careful enough to know it and not stand along it because he knows that if he does, soon enough he will start to walk along the same path. This reminds me of the young man in Proverbs 7 who hangs around the house of the harlot, and soon enough he yields to her enticing speech.
He does not sit in the seat of the scornful. The scornful are those who are arrogant and love to criticize. This is so rampant today even among believers but one who is right with God understands that this is not the company they should keep because if they do, soon enough they will be defiled and their hearts will be filled with bitterness and offense.
Who you walk with will influence how you think. Whose path you stand along will determine how you behave, and whoever you sit with will determine your sense of belonging.
As someone once told me, when you want to buy a car, don’t talk to the people who don’t have one because they will discourage you by telling you how expensive fuel is and how expensive it is to maintain a car. This they will do, yet they have never owned a car or bought fuel or maintained a car in their life.
Seek people who have gone before you and they will encourage you by telling you it is possible because they have done it before. The mighty men of David were his companions and because they hung out with a giant killer, they killed giants as well.
Reflections.
Are you living out your purpose?
Who are your close companions, who do you walk with?
From where do you derive your sense of belonging?
