The Blessed (2)
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January 15, 2017 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers" (Psalm 1:2-3).
Today many people plot evil schemes and commit sins in seeking their own benefits, and are even indifferent toward others and cause harm to them.
To be a blessed person, what we are not supposed to do is clearly explained in Psalm 1:1, "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!"
Proverbs 16:1 reads, "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD." The following verse 9 says, "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." It shows that no matter how hard we may try, we can receive blessings only when God guides and answers us.
Today let's delve into how a blessed person acts and what kind of person God is pleased with and leads to the way of blessings.
1. A Person Who Meditates on God's Law Day and Night
'The Law' refers to the law of God written in the five books of Moses including the Ten Commandments in a specific sense, but 'the Law' referred to in today's passage refers to the 66 books of the Bible in its entirety.
How much do you love the Law of God and do you meditate on it day and night? If you love the Law, you may joyfully attend every kind of worship service. To you, the Word is sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. When you gain spiritual realization of it, the Holy Spirit rejoices in you and you become filled with joy. When you discover your shortcomings in the Word, you will be happy because it is an opportunity for you to become more perfect. Thus, we should cultivate our heart through the Word by reading it diligently, memorizing the verses, engraving it in heart, and meditating on it day and night. Only when we meditate in the Word all the time with love for it, it can lead us to God's blessed way.
First, we should understand what the 'counsel of the wicked' is and what it is like to 'stand in the path of sinners and sit in the seat of scoffers'. We should learn the Word and eagerly meditate on it to make it ours. Then, the Holy Spirit, the Helper, teaches us through the Word and guides us to act in the truth. Furthermore, we should understand what Jesus' answer to the question "Which is the great commandment in the Law?" means.
In Matthew 22:37-40 He answered the question saying, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." It means that the most important commandments in the Law are to love God and to love our neighbors.
If you truly love God you will do what is pleasing to God and resemble Him. You will seek for and love goodness, light, holiness, spiritual love, truthfulness, and other spiritually beautiful things. You will love and serve your brothers and sisters in a meek and humble manner if the love of God is in you. That is why Romans 13:10 says, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
2. A Person Who Dwells in God, the Fountain of Blessings and Prospers in Every Aspect
It was recorded that blessed are those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, who do not stand in the path of sinners, and do not sit in the seat of scoffers. Blessed are whose delight is in the law of the LORD and who meditates in His law day and night. Then, what kind of blessings will God give to them?
Psalm 1:3 says, "He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers." When it doesn't rain for a long time, plants cannot but become dry and die. But a tree firmly planted by streams of water may have no problem even during a drought. As long as the streams of water are not dried, the tree can absorb water and nutrients and its leaf does not wither and it can yield its fruit in its season.
Here, 'streams of water' refers to the fountain of blessing. As Jeremiah 17:13 states that the fountain of living water is the LORD, and the fountain is God. In other words, to receive blessings like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, we should dwell in God who is the fountain of all kinds of blessings. And we should live in Jesus Christ who is the way, truth, and the life.
To dwell in God means to live in the will and guidance of God. When we dwell in God that way, we will live in sweet rain of grace all the time and be filled with joy, thanks, hope for Heaven, and the love of God. We can communicate with God in the Holy Spirit's inspiration, hear His voice, and receive His guidance.
Again, a tree firmly planted by streams of water yields its fruit in its season. Then, what kinds of fruit can we yield? It is the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Light, the fruit of the Beatitudes, and the fruit written in Love Chapter. When we are guided to cast away hatred, if we obey, we can throw away hatred and yield the fruit of love. When we obey and cast off anger, we can bear the fruit of kindness, peace, and patience.
To the extent that we bear the spiritual fruit, we can receive answers as well as receive blessings at home, in the workplace, and in our business. Just as a tree planted by streams of water can yield its abundant fruit even when the whole world has dried up due to drought, when we dwell in God, we can receive blessings in any kind of situation.
When Joseph was the second ruler of Egypt, a severe drought hit the nations around Egypt as well as Egypt and remained for seven years. A great number of people were in danger of starvation, but Egypt had abundant food regardless of bad harvest. This is because God had let Joseph, who was in God, know about the drought in advance and prepare enough food for the time.
When the Ten Plagues stuck all of Egypt, Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was protected from all kinds of damage caused by the plagues. It proves that no matter how hard the situation is and even when disasters hit the whole world, those who dwell in God who is the fountain of blessings, will receive blessings.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, a true blessing is to believe Jesus Christ, receive salvation, and reach eternal Heaven. For God's children, especially, it is important to cast away sins and evil and become sanctified, and thereby for their souls to prosper. To the extent their souls prosper, they can receive love from God, everything will go well with them, receive blessing of good health, and enjoy eternal glory in Heaven.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become a tree firmly planted by streams of water in the grace of God for whom nothing is impossible and bear abundant fruit.
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