Blessed
Is the Man
By Greg Quinn
January 21st, 2008
It’s a new year. 2008.
It seems as if 2007 just flew by. A
lot of great things happened in 2007. And,
the year was mixed with sadness as well. I
am sure the same is true for you. Each
of us, each year, experience times of both gladness and sadness.
Happiness and hardships. Success
and failure. Grief and joy.
That is normal, a part of living as humans on this good earth.
Each of us, however, at the culmination of one year and the beginning of
another, ponder upon a plan for the new year that will yield much greater
happiness and success, and much less grief and hardships.
We want the new year to be better than the old year.
Simply put, we want to be blessed.
Before we can truly grasp the blessings we want, we need
to reflect upon the blessings we already have.
Perhaps 2007 brought the death of a loved one. As sad as this was, and as real as the pain that remains, you
still can be thankful that you have others that remain with you.
Perhaps 2007 brought personal sickness.
While difficult, the fact that you are alive and able to read this
message is a testament to God’s mercy, as you are still here and well enough
to read. 2007 may have dealt
financial hardships, but I’d bet you would not have to look very far to find
others in much worse shape than you. This
past year may have delivered times of despair, feelings of being alone,
heartbreak, and sadness that at times seemed unbearable.
But, it is now a new year. 2007
is gone. And you have another 12 minutes or 12 months to live your
life, and with God’s help, to replace the despair with hope, the loneliness
with friendship, the heartbreak with comfort, and the sadness with joy.
As sad as some times were this past year, looking back, each of us can
most likely realize that, in many areas, we are truly blessed.
Being a new year, and wanting things better in 2008 than in
2007, how do we achieve the new level of success for the new year? How can we be
guaranteed more blessings in 2008 than in 2007? I have a very simple answer.
One that will work better than any fad diet. One that will yield more success than any self-help book
plan, exercise regimen, new friendship, more money, or major life change on your
own. A plan straight from God
himself. A plan to be blessed.
Psalms 1:1-3 says this: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful. But his delight is in the
law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he
doeth shall prosper.”
Allow me to expound on this a bit.
First, this is a promise from God. God himself (the Creator of the Universe, the God that put
you here and gave you the ability to read this note) said these words, and God
cannot lie. His truth that is
recorded in the Holy Bible is the only truth that we can truly count on.
So, when God says something, you can take it to the bank.
Now understanding that this is true, and therefore the
promises are solid and will be kept by the only one that can truly keep
promises, God himself, what does this mean?
What is the promise that God is giving us in this Scripture?
God very clearly tells us that, if we do a few things, that He will bless
us. How will he bless us?
We shall be secure and safe. We
will be fruitful and successful. And
whatever we do will prosper. God
himself guarantees our success!
Before you run off and think that I’m a televangelist
delivering a message of guaranteed new relationships, guaranteed financial
success, more money, better jobs, less weight, guaranteed happiness, nicer home,
better friends, and greater health, just stop a minute.
That is not what God is saying. That
is not what I am saying. God says
he will keep you secure. He will
make you successful and prosperous in whatever you do.
This is true. But, we first
need to make sure that (a) we connect our meaning of success with God’s
meaning of success, and (b) we do what God says we must do in order to receive
these blessings.
If our understanding of success, prosperity, and blessings
become in tune with God’s definition of the same, then we can understand how
He will bless us. How can we do
that? By doing what He says we must
do to receive these blessings.
What is God therefore telling us we must do?
First, we are going to be blessed if we don’t hang around with bad
people. “Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…”.
While this may sound like a message you received growing up from your
grandmother, you now understand where it comes from.
You cannot hang out with ungodly people and live a godly life.
Who you hang around defines much of what you will become.
As IT people put it, “garbage in-garbage out”.
You live your life hanging around with bad people, and you will most
likely become as they are. If you
hang out with unsuccessful people, you are more likely to become unsuccessful.
If you spend most of your time with people that drink, you will drink.
If you hang with those that do drugs, you will most likely do drugs.
If you are around cussing all the time, you will probably cuss yourself.
If you are around continually people that live unfruitful, unblessed
lives, your life will reflect much of the same.
Why is this? Because more
often than not we take advice from those around us the most.
And, if the advice is coming from ungodly people (people that are not at
least attempting to live in accordance to God’s standards), how can you expect
this advice to be blessed by God? So,
for 2008, one of the first things you can do to live a more blessed life is to
look at whom you hang around, and perhaps make some changes. If your friends are
not living the kind of life you want to live, if those you spend most of your
time with are not blessed by God, if the counsel you receive is not from people
striving to live a life as God would suggest, then you certainly want to begin
to add different influences into your life.
I’m not telling you that, if you are married to a bad person or have
bad friends or have bad children, to turn and run away from them.
I’m suggesting that you add in more positive influences than negative
ones, you watch where your advice comes from, and you begin to hang around with
people that live a life of faith in God. In
other words, walk in the counsel of the godly instead of the ungodly.
Secondly, God tells us not to be a stumbling block to sinners.
“…nor standeth in the way of sinners…”.
In other words, don’t be a reason that another person would do wrong.
Just as you are warned to not take counsel from an ungodly person, God is
telling you to not be that ungodly person to another.
Don’t prevent God’s blessing to fall on another person by being
someone whom God’s blessings run from. Going
along with the first illustration, you cannot be a stumbling block to other
people that are living ungodly lives if you don’t hang around with these kind
of people. And, if you do (and we all must live around people that live
lives that are defined as ungodly), then do not be the person that causes
another person to sin. Don’t be the guy that causes someone else to do wrong.
Don’t be the bad example. Instead,
be the good example. Live a life
that would be pleasing to God. How
do we do this? First, we must be
saved and accept Jesus as our personal savior.
I suggest you find a Holy Bible and turn to the Book of Romans and read
the first 3 chapters. This should
help you understand. And/or go to a
Bible-believing church in your community and talk to the Pastor and tell him you
want to develop a relationship with God. And/or
email me (greg@gunblast.com) and I’ll
do what I can to help you understand this critical element of success as well.
Once that part of your life is defined, then you will better understand
how to live a godly life. A godly life is a life of good example.
Thirdly, God is explaining how we should not be scornful or
unthankful. “…nor sitteth in
the seat of the scornful.” We can
only sit in one seat, and that’s the one we carry around with us daily.
To not sit in the seat of the scornful is to not be scornful yourself.
To not be scornful yourself is to instead be thankful.
Live a life of thankfulness. When
things are good, be thankful to God for the blessings.
When things are not so good, be thankful for the blessings you have and
realize things could be much worse. Don’t
be full of scorn or resentment. Be
full of thanks and praise to God for all the great things He has done for you.
Look around you. Look at
others much worse off than you, be they next door or in another country.
You have much to be thankful for. So,
reflect on how good you have it, instead of how bad things are.
Giving undue attention to how bad you think you have it will make you
scornful. Don’t become that
person. Be thankful. You are
blessed more than you may think.
Fourth, find delight in God’s Word.
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night.” And, study God’s Word.
God’s Word is the Holy Bible. The
only book ever written that will tell you how you can live forever. Not the
Talmud. Not the Book of Mormon.
Not the writings of the Muslim faith.
The Holy Bible. Read it.
You might not find delight at first, but the more you read it and the
more you begin to understand, the more you will find happiness through its
pages. Because through the Bible
God the Creator can speak to you if you let him do so. And, you will receive instruction as to how to be guaranteed
a better life. In 2008, and beyond.
In summary, we want to live a great life in 2008.
We desire greater success in all areas of our life.
Can this greater success be attained?
Absolutely! How?
First, don’t hang around with ungodly people. Don’t be an ungodly person yourself, and instead live a
life that is pleasing to God. Be
thankful to God for all your blessings. And,
read and study God’s Word, the Holy Bible, do what it says, and begin to find
delight within its instruction.
Do these things, and you will be blessed. You will find
security and provision as that tree planted by the river, that even in dry times
doesn’t have to worry about water. This
tree will live through the worst drought, because it gets its life from the
water it is near. You can live
through the worst times in your life by being near to God.
Your life, as the tree that is fruitful, will be fruitful and blessed.
Your leaf will not wither. And,
get this last promise, “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
I hope this helps you have a great life in 2008.
My prayer is that each reader will find the peace, security, and
happiness that will only come through a relationship with God.
And, this close relationship with the Creator will deliver to you a
greater life in this new year.
God bless,
Greg Quinn
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