True Happiness
1 Happy are those
who reject the advice of evil people,
who do not follow the example of sinners
or join those who have no use for God.
2 Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord,
and they study it day and night.
3 They are like trees that grow beside a stream,
that bear fruit at the right time,
and whose leaves do not dry up.
They succeed in everything they do.
4 But evil people are not like this at all;
they are like straw that the wind blows away.
5 Sinners will be condemned by God
and kept apart from God's own people.
6 The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord,
but the evil are on the way to their doom.
Psalms 1:1-6 (GNT); scripture position moved but no word removed... plus comments.
Scripture: Sinners will be condemned by God and kept apart from God's own people.
Comment: So you don't have to worry about them, God keeps them away from you. Also, be sure not to look for them on your own, the challenge here is that it's your desires that pull you towards sin and sinners even when you're protected from them
Scripture: Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.
Comment: And, when your desires pull you towards them, make your last stand against sin/evil by rejecting their advice using your knowledge of the law of God. You'll always find that the words of evil people don't not glorify God - they have no use for God, so why glorify him?
Scripture: Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night.
Comment: The joy in obeying God's law is only found, it takes seeking to find, right? So we seek the joy in God's law day and night until we find it... now seeking can at times not be enjoyable, but when you find what you're seeking! The joy, the peace, the satisfaction... no wonder the righteous live a life of thanksgiving to God; they found what they're seeking.
Scripture: They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up.
Comment: And, because they found what they're seeking, their well-being depends on God, who's the river of life, everlasting life too. They depends on Him who supplies all their needs through all seasons, sustaining them in easy and difficult times, making them productive at the right time, when it's expected of them, and so...
Scripture: They succeed in everything they do.
Comment: Everything! They succeed in everything they do. One of the definitions of success to me is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At birth, it was success. In life, it was success. In death, it was success. And His resurrection was a success too. Because times don't look, feel or taste good they don't mean you're not succeeding. You're a success! A success in everything at all times!
Scripture: But evil people are not like this at all; they are like straw that the wind blows away.
Comment: Simply said, when you do not work for the glory of God, you work for nothing, NOTHING!
Scripture: The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord, but the evil are on the way to their doom.
Comment: All good things come from the guidance and protection of God, but when you're condemned by God because of your evil ways, you're doomed!
