Who is Blessed?

Psalm 1:1

I can't think of anything more practical than having the Lord's blessing in my life. But, sometimes when I look at what I'm going through I start to wonder aloud, "What am I doing wrong?" The usual answer in my case is frustratingly simple--I've lost sight of one of the basics again.

Psalm 1 offers us foolproof advice that's often read, but poorly practiced. Have you ever sought out advice from the wrong people? I have, and I'm not proud of it. But what we may miss here is the difference between our world and the world of the Psalmist's day. The difference? Technology.

We don't have to do anything to solicit advice in our day. All we have to do is lace up and walk out the door or swipe the screen of our smart phones. In so doing we enter Aldous Huxley's Brave New World so full of noise that we can hardly think a thought for ourselves without the influence of some voice somewhere. To grasp this fully just try to imagine navigating a whole day without any media or advertising influences. Music, billboards, radio, TV, newspapers, computers, books...the list is quite long.

You may not intentionally sit down for coffee with the worst person on your block for advice, but is that the only vehicle for advice today? I think not. We can just as easily forfeit the Lord's blessing in our lives by mentally buying what the world is selling as we sit at a bus stop, watch the evening news, or squint at the skywriting at the beach. Mark it down, there isn't an issue or topic you can raise for which the world doesn't have wicked counsel .

What's the solution? Awareness! Don't be caught off guard. You must be able to train yourself to find the lies in the messages around you. Oh yeah, there's some good stuff in verse two as well. But, that's for next time.