TWO PATHS. ONE ETERNITY.
[8-minute read]
To say that something lasts a lifetime only describes the duration of a condition. Many things are seen to be beneficial if they last a lifetime such as product and service warranty, marriage, wealth or a passion for learning. But how about a lifetime of regrets, illnesses, relational deficits, loneliness, and broken dreams? How about the eternity that all of us will step into at the end of our human life? What kind of eternity are you preparing yourself for?
The first chapter in the book of Psalms speaks clearly about the two realities that face us in life and in eternity. It sketches the behaviour that leads to a blessed spiritual life or to spiritual perish.
Psalm 1 (NASB) begins with an encouraging note, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” and it ends with a harsh warning, “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” It traces the choices and behaviours that lead to two paths and one eternity, and presents us with two irrefutable realities: will we have an eternity with God or without God?
Let’s unpack 4 ways to live a blessed life that leads to an eternity with God and examine the consequences of making man-pleasing compromises along the way.
#1 Blessed Is The Man Who DISCIPLINES Himself In The Ways Of The Lord
For maintaining good health, we have to say no to choices that are harmful to our bodies. Any discipline requires a regimen that helps us stay on course with behaviour and choices that promote the outcomes we desire. Similarly, spiritual discipline requires us to say ‘no’ to anything that compromises the instructions and commands of the Lord. Jesus taught all His followers to first seek His kingdom and His righteousness, “and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33).
All human connections begin in the place of meeting other people and as the cadence increases, we come alongside each other and begin to listen more intently to each other. Mutual interest grows as we exchange personal stories, seek advice, and deepen our sharing. The connection grows as we move from walking to standing to sitting together. However, Psalm 1:2 also warns us about constantly spending time with people whose ungodly values begin to rub off on us. Our talk change after we spend extended time with proud and boastful people, we begin to boast about who’s who and our social connections. When we spend time with gossipers, we soon talk freely about other people’s private affairs. When we spend time with people who are self-absorbed and self-centred (Christians or not!), we begin to think that blessedness is all about how well we manage our personal lives.
Psalm 1:1 presents a negative image of a believer sitting “in the seat of scoffers”. In naivety, Christians can be so desirous to not be seen as being ‘out of touch with the real world’ that we become out of touch with the Word of God in the core of our living and reasoning.
In reality, we need to be wise about who we approach for advice on living our Christian lives. At the same time, we should not be so agreeable that we will listen and accept all viewpoints, or be so guarded that we listen to no one! Our stand ought to be this: seek the counsel of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. This is the righteousness of God! We can agree to disagree with the pre-believing or back-sliding spouse, and other close ones who do not share the depth of our faith in Jesus in order to set boundaries for protecting our own spiritual convictions. We always need to ask ourselves: who is becoming like who? If we say, “I’m a strong and mature Christian, nothing will happen to me.” That is the voice of pride, not maturity!
1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us: “Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character.”
#2 Blessed Is The Man Who DELIGHTS Himself In The Word Of The Lord
Christians often misinterpret delight as duty; concluding then that a good Christian must find all duties delightful. In fact, the true meaning of delight mentioned in Psalm 1:2 lies in finding pleasure in learning the Lord’s commands to such as extent that it becomes an inalienable quality of our lives.
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” (At the time of the Psalmist writing, there were only 5 books of the Bible to meditate on. Today, we have 66 books to delight in!) Rigid memorization of Scriptures and formulaic reading plans have their place in helping a believer become familiar with the character of God but they do not replicate the real pleasure found in a deepening relationship with God.
As such, we need to stop the bad habits of speed reading or randomly quoting a verse in the Bible to caption an experience. Instead, we are to meditate (not by emptying our minds or numbing our emotions to reach Nirvana) by filling our minds with the Word of God so that we may declare, proclaim and profess the power, life and truth of the Word in our lives. It is important to know that Christian meditation is powerful because it is the journey from information to revelation that we take with God regularly as a spiritual discipline.
#3 Blessed Is The Man Who DISPLAYS God’s Goodness
In verse 3, the Psalmist compared a blessed man to one who is like “a tree that is firmly planted by streams of water”. Contrastingly, a tree that is potted speaks of limitations to its livelihood and growth potential. A similar teaching is found in Jeremiah 17:7-8: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
This teaches us that a blessed life does not depend on our ability to obtain perpetuity in outcome guarantees whether it is for our health, careers, businesses or relationships. Rather, it is about our confidence in God, in spite of the absence of assurance that a medication or treatment will work, or that an action that involved much risks will produce the desired outcomes. Jeremiah 17 highlights that our confidence must be anchored in God when we face any uncertainties that create anxieties so that we may persevere and see prosperity from the Lord.
#4 Blessed Is The Man Who DIFFERS From The Unrighteous
Here is a hard question but a necessary health-check we need to perform regularly: does your life resemble a flourishing tree or chaff ready to be blown away by the latest discovery or trend?
Verse 4 describes the ungodly as “chaff which the wind drives away.” They are Christians who lack the spiritual conviction rooted in the Word of God. Wind describes any popular movement, opinion and ideology that has the force to shift our beliefs and confidence in God. Instead of prosperity, the outcome for shifty Christians is inauspiciousness.
We are not wrong if we say that all humans are prone to make mistakes and fail. “Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:3, 5b). However, it is wise to take this as a warning and not as an excuse for perpetuating wrong thinking and sinful behaviour. It is not easy but that’s where God’s grace enables us to go on from strength to strength.
Finally, the Psalmist made a clear distinction between believers who are committed to following God’s Word and pursuing His righteousness, and those whose lives merely look good on the outside - surrounded by Christian friends and subscribing to Christian rituals - but are spiritually as dry as a bone deep down.
Let’s not forget that as believers, we are also called to support and build up one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11). What are we doing to ‘walk, stand and sit with others’ so that no one can say that we are either apathetic or unChristlike?
In concluding, Psalm 1 contains only 6 verses, beginning with “How blessed” and ending with “will perish”. It sets out two paths: one that is righteous, and one that is not. Yet, both lead to an irreversible eternity. This there leads us to the question: where will you spend yours?
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 4 February 2023.
