Today’s Reading:
Psalm 1
“Blessed is he 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.” (v. 1)
One of the greatest desires of any man is to be blessed, whether young or old. Everyone wants to be blessed, young or old. While many are already blessed, many are waiting their turn to be blessed. To be blessed in general means: to be prosperous; happy; blissful or beatified; and to be blessed spiritually means: to be granted or receive God’s special favour divinely which can result in joy and prosperity; to wish happiness for; to pronounce or extol as holy or happy. There are, therefore, differences between worldly and spiritual blessings. To be blessed by God is different from acquiring posterity in the world, which is temporary. The blessed man by God is reckoned to be his child, who is righteous and godly.
From our Today’s Reading, we come to understand that there are conditions laid down for a man to be blessed by God. These can be classified under “do” and “don’t”. For a man to be blessed, he needs to “do” the following: delight in the law of the Lord - his commandments, instructions, his Word in general; meditate on his “Word” day and night and obey it (v2); others include: put trust in the Lord (Prov. 3:5-6); hold on to faith (Heb. 11:1); praying without ceasing (1Thes. 5:17); finding strength in God; praising God; asking God for blessings; honour him; maintaining a righteous and holy life before him. The “don’t” conditions for being blessed of God include: not walking in the counsel of the ungodly; not standing in the path of sinners; not sitting in the seat of the scornful (v1). God desires to bless people as seen in Num 6:23-26, where He told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons who were priests, how to bless the children of Israel. Many Psalmists wrote concerning the blessed man. In Ps. 112:2, it is written that blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in his commandments. Ps. 119:1 describes the blessed as those who are undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord, those who keep his testimonies; Ps 128:1 says blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways: David in Ps 32:1-2 wrote that blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered, and blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. It is instructive that the man who considers the poor is blessed (Ps. 41:1).
Gladly enough, many benefits are earmarked for the blessed man. It is written in our today’s reading in v3 that he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, and whose leaf shall not wither; whatever he does shall prosper; God knows his way (v6); he shall be delivered in time of trouble (Ps 41:1); the Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and will be blessed on the earth (Ps 41:2); transgression is forgiven, sins covered, iniquity not imputed (Ps 34:1-2). On the other hand, the man who is not blessed and is ungodly is said to be like chaff which the wind drives away, who will not stand in the judgement or in the congregation of the righteous, and whose way shall perish (Vs 4-6).
The question is asked: who qualifies to be blessed in the first instance? The qualification is simply - be a child of God. One who is reconciled with God through Jesus Christ his son, whom He sent to the world to die for the sins of mankind. By believing in Jesus and accepting the reconciliation work of being the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, qualifies one to be saved. Being saved and living for God and Jesus, qualifies one to be blessed as discussed above.
CHRISTIE KUPOLUYI
To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud. “Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank you, Lord.”
If you said the prayer, Congratulations! Prayerfully look for a living church and report to the resident reverend, pastor or priest.
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for your desire to bless us as your children.
Lord, thank you for the gift of salvation for mankind.
Precious Lord, we appreciate you for saving us and qualifying us to be blessed and for your blessings.
Father, continue to position the Church to play its role to bring lost souls to salvation and, thereafter, be blessed.
Father, in your mercy help our nation to qualify to be blessed.
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