Blessed by God

Introduction

Psalms 1:3 “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.”

       The above verse is the promise verse of the month of April. As the works of a righteous man prospers according to the verse here, so are the children of God’s works will also flourish and prosper. But before obtaining the blessings of prosperity, our Lord God expects certain attributes in his children. Today, we are going to mediate upon the important check points that God expects in us to bless us.

I Separated from the world

Psalms 1:1 “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.”

       As we read in the above verse, we see a man who is blessed by the hands of God should be man who is chosen by God. The chosen person leads a life that is completely separated by the world. The Christian life is compared to the life of upright walking. We read in Ephesians 4:1 ‘..beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,’ As we the children of God we are all called according to God’s purpose. We should make it a point to live a life which is purely according to the purpose of God. Also in Ephesians 4:17 ‘This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,’ this verse clearly states that our lives should be separated from the world and we must not lead the life of gentiles.

       Though we live in this world, we should always maintain a Holy life that separates us from the worldly people. In Ephesians 5:8 ‘For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:’ We the children of God should walk as the children of light. The real Christian life is the one where our walk is made divine that our faith on God grows day by day and enables us to be obedient to the word of God. This is rightly recorded in Ephesians 5:15 ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,’.

       When we read in I John 1:5-7 “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” We the children of God should be vigilant in our walks. Though we live in this world, we do not belong to the world. We are the ones who are chosen and separated by the divine salvation of Christ. This thought should be beaming in our ears every single day. In Hebrews 11:25 “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;” As we live in this world, the chances of falling into the pit of sin are very high. We should remain cautious all the time from all the worldly sins and desires. We read about the dangers that are associated if we are in friends with the wicked in Psalms 1:1 ‘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.’ As the children of God, the people who we socialize or who we are in friends with should be the ones who are spiritual. If our friends are worldly, they will surely direct us to the way of wickedness. Being friends with the wrong friends will only deviate our spiritual calling and we would eventually end up losing our blessings. In Matthew 26:58 ‘But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.’ We see here Peter, the disciple of Jesus betrayed him before the priests. Therefore, it is very evident that if our lives are not separated from the world, and if our walks are not according to the calling and if we are friends with the worldly people, we can never be blessed by the hands of God. Therefore, let us all make it a point to lead a life that is completely separated from the world.

II Saturated in the word

Psalms 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

       We see the man who is blessed by the hands of God is a man who mediates the word of God. In Joshua 1:8 ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ The above verse clearly points out how we should mediate the word of God like unto Joshua. This is the secret of Joshua’s success because he mediated the word of God all the time. We the children of God should be saturated in the word of God. When we start meditating the word of God, the words will start working out in our lives. It will take the entire control of our lives and it will guide us in all the walks of lives. In Jeremiah 15:16 ‘Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.’ When we meditate and eat/intake the word of the Lord we will be filled with gladness. Therefore, let us all start meditating the word of God all through the day to obtain all his heavenly blessings.

III Situated by the waters

Psalms 1:3 “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.”

       A blessed man is the one who is planted by the river side. We read in John 7:37-39 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” This verse signifies the explanation given by the Christ himself regarding the blessed man. If our lives are to be planted by the river side, our roots should be rooted well in Christ. Our roots should grow deeper and deeper in the Christ. If we are not mediating the words of God on a daily basis we cannot be planted by the river side. Our leaves will be withered away. In order to be situated by the waters, we should have a strong fellowship with God. Therefore, we the children of God should lead a spiritual life just like the above dealt aspects. Let us all lead a righteous life and receive all the blessings of a blessed man.