A Life of Godliness

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:1-6‬ NLT 

Note the contrast between the godly and the wicked. The godly are the ones who:
1. Don't take the advice of the wicked. So many people get counsel from the wrong sources. Who do you get yours from?
2. Don’t hang out with those who practice sinful conduct. “You are what you eat” I have always heard.  “bad company corrupts good character.”” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:33‬ ‭NLT‬‬ You can’t soar with eagles if you hang out with turkeys. 
3. Don’t get caught in the rhetoric of the scoffers (those who scorn or mock). The godly don’t get wrapped up in the naysaying of society, rather they stand steadfast in the faith with undeterred focus on the things of God. 
4. They take delight in the Word of God. The godly are constituted in their character by the love of God’s Word. God’s Word will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from God’s Word! Former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, once said “A good knowledge of the Bible is better than a college education”.  The godly reap the blessing that comes from these things. The harvest of the godly is like a tree planted by a river, receiving all the water it needs for health and growth, that bears its bountiful fruit, that has constant bloom, and lives that are marked by God’s prosperous hand.  The wicked, however, are like the unusable chaff (the husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing). Chaff is worthless rubbish that is only fit for the wind to disperse. The only other option is disposal or  burning. 
The way of the godly leads to life. The way of the wicked leads to death.  Prayer for today:  Father, in Jesus name, help me live a life of godliness that is constituted by Your Holy Word. Let me be prospered by Your hand that I may glorify Your name. May all that I am, and all that I do, be developed under your holiness! In Jesus name! Amen!!