HALLEUYAH! HALLELUYAH!! HALLELUYAH!!!
RELEASE DATE: January 30, 2023
WEEK 5: (January 30 – February 5, 2023)
WEEKLY BIBLE READINGS:
Psalm 1:1 – 2 (NIV)
1 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.
INTERPRETATION
To be blessed is to be under and live under the divine blessing of God – the blessing that comes from being in covenant with Him. The blessing of good health, family, job, and protection among others, are His blessings.
How then can I attract God’s blessings? According to the Psalm, you must not “walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers”. Is your mind and heart, your thinking and your emotional life being shaped by the truth of God’s word or by something else? We are now in an era where social media has permeated every aspect of our lives; do you allow the dictates on these platforms to shape your thinking?
“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”. What kind of things shape your thinking and feeling which eventually leads to your words and actions? If you walk in the ‘light’ of the wicked, you will begin to think like the wicked and eventually delight in what is wicked. If you stand in the ways of sinners, you will begin to delight in what is sinful. If you constantly sit with mockers, in the end, you become a mocker. Our composition is entirely shaped by the kind of information we let into our minds and heart.
On the other hand, what does a person seeking the blessings of God do? The blessed person delights and finds pleasure not only in God’s law but meditates in His words day and night. By meditating on the Word constantly, evil thoughts will have no place in His heart. This is how the mind works – you produce and exhibit what you fill the heart with. What we fix our minds upon begins to shape the affections of our hearts. It’s the constant thought-shaping activity of meditation that leads to the glorious heart-shaping joy of delight.
Beloved, like Paul says “Set your mind on things above” and “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, this is another reminder to act in this light. CCC Hymn 541 says “…give up on all anxiety, a world that would be no more”. Shun evil and meditate in God’s Word and you are on your way to being blessed!
PRAYER
Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Holy Michael, Our Father and Our Lord, thank you for your Word. Have mercy on me, Lord. Teach me to shun evil and help me to meditate in your law always. Guide my heart and strengthen my mind to run away from sin and all appearances of evil. I begin to experience more grace in abundance, my spirit is quickened to do what is good and my soul is lifted to focus on the things above. This and many more I ask for through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thank you and God bless. Shalom.
Footnote: “A life without Christ is full of crisis but life in Christ is a great life full of peace. Let that be your Guide & Guard”
Isaiah 59:1 – Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear”