{"id":14104,"date":"2024-08-01T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightbearers.org\/blog\/?p=14104"},"modified":"2026-03-10T18:01:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T22:01:40","slug":"the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightbearers.org\/blog\/the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"The Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you could, instantly, have any book of the Bible memorized, which one would it be? I\u2019ve asked this question to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people over the years. In fact, I asked several friends just recently while enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The most common answers, in no particular order, are usually: Revelation, Matthew, Luke, John, Isaiah, Genesis, and the Psalms. There are no wrong answers, of course. Now, which book would you choose? And why? It\u2019s an enjoyable and edifying conversation to have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Me? Well, friend, thank you for asking! I\u2019d take Psalms with no hesitation. I love the book of Psalms, absolutely love it. Over the years, I\u2019ve gone back again and again to read, study, and pray through the Bible\u2019s Psalms. Several weeks ago, I found myself, once again, back at Psalm 1. The next day was Psalm 2. Then Psalm 3 and so on. Each day a Psalm; each day a blessing from God; each day a message seemingly tailor-made just for me in just the situation I was in. How God does this, I do not know, but He does it nevertheless, quite apart from my understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0I hadn\u2019t ever thought about the Psalms that way<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Several years ago, my oldest son, Landon, and his friends read and talked through the Psalms together. It took several months, and in the course of doing so they each made a list of their top 10 Psalms. They would compare their lists, debate their reasons, and try and persuade the others of their perspective. One day, Landon asked me what my top ten was. I wasn\u2019t sure; I hadn\u2019t ever thought about the Psalms that way. He shared with me his list and the reasoning behind each selection. I remember being pleased and proud that my son was so conversant in the Psalms that he could have a top ten and make a rather persuasive case for each one. It was one of those wonderful father son moments for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I still don\u2019t have a top ten list. I\u2019ve never taken the time to think about and make one. But, having said that, I\u2019m certain that Psalm 1 would be on that list. Over the years, I\u2019ve read it, prayed through it, meditated on it, and preached on it. And yet, just a few weeks ago, finding myself back at Psalm 1, new insights dawned on my understanding. What\u2019s that? You\u2019d like to know what they were? Well, again, thank you for asking!<\/span><\/p>\n

The first is, well, the first word: Blessed. The book of Psalms\u2014one of the longest books in the Bible, consisting of some 150 \u201cchapters\u201d (really, 150 songs)\u2014begins with what is, I think, the essence of the whole book: being blessed. What does it mean to be blessed? How is one blessed? The Psalms, collectively, offer the answer. The point of it all is knowing and finding God\u2019s blessing on one\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cBlessed is the one who\u2026\u201d (v. 1)<\/span><\/p>\n

Friend, God longs to bless you, to shower upon you His favor and goodness. And, in Christ, He already has! For those who will receive it, God\u2019s eternal favor, blessing, and salvation is already theirs, even now, through what Christ has accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection on their behalf. Living in the light of that historical and eternal reality is the key to being, as the Psalmist says in the opening of these sacred songs, \u201cBlessed.\u201d Believe it. Receive it.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s even more. Verse 1 continues:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Blessed is the one<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 who does not walk in step with the wicked<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0or stand in the way sinners take<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 or sit in the company of mockers,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notice an important phrase in that third line: \u201cthe way.\u201d It\u2019s a phrase that shows up two more times in the psalm, both in the last verse:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0For the LORD watches over the way of<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 the righteous,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0but the way of the wicked leads<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 to destruction (v. 6).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe way,\u201d three times in just six verses. Psalm 1 contrasts \u201cthe way\u201d of the \u201cblessed\u201d with \u201cthe way\u201d of the \u201cwicked\u201d (vss. 1, 4, 5, 6), \u201csinners\u201d (vss. 1, 5), and \u201cmockers\u201d (v. 1).<\/span><\/p>\n

There are not three ways. Or four, or five. There are just two ways: the blessed way and another way. This is why the Psalm opens with, \u201cBlessed is the one who\u2026\u201d and then, three verses later, announces loudly: \u201cNot so the wicked!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So, again, there are just two \u201cways\u201d: the blessed way and the \u201cnot-so-blessed\u201d way. And the point here is so simple, even subtle, one might easily miss it: God\u2019s blessing is upon a favored and blessed \u201cway,\u201d not so much upon a favored and blessed people. God does not play, arbitrarily, favorites with one person over and against another, or with one group\/nation\/race over and against another. No, He has blessed a way. Any person or group may choose that way and, thus, be blessed. Conversely, any person or group may choose another, un-blessed, way and, thus, find themselves on the path that \u201cleads to destruction\u201d (v. 6).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are not three ways. Or four, or five. There are just two ways: the blessed way and another way.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God\u2019s blessing, in Christ, is upon all people. This is because Jesus, as a member of the human race, and \u201cthe last Adam\u201d (1 Corinthians 15:45), died for and represents, literally, every human being who has ever lived or will ever live. In Christ, humanity is already redeemed, received, enthroned, and, yes, \u201cblessed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In her wonderful book, <\/span>Desire of Ages<\/span><\/i>, Ellen White writes of this beautiful and biblical idea of global and inclusive representation:<\/span><\/p>\n

And the word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, \u201cThis is My beloved Son, in <\/span> whom I am well pleased,\u201d embraces humanity. God spoke to Jesus as our <\/span> representative. With all our sins and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless.<\/span><\/p>\n

Embraces humanity! (Notice the present tense too!)<\/span><\/p>\n

Our representative! (\u201cOur,\u201d as in all of us.)<\/span><\/p>\n

So God\u2019s blessing is not reserved for certain people and withheld from others. No, God\u2019s blessing is upon a \u201cway,\u201d a way of living, thinking, and being. That way is for you. It is for me. And for everyone!<\/span><\/p>\n

God doesn\u2019t bless\/curse people so much as He blesses\/curses ways (of life). Friends, we choose which \u201cway\u201d we will live and in so doing we choose whether or not we will be blessed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what Psalm 1 is about: the way of blessing versus the way of the wicked\/sinner\/mocker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0For the LORD watches over the way of<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 the righteous,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0but the way of the wicked leads<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 to destruction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One way has God\u2019s blessing upon and watch care over it. The other does not and, thus, leads to destruction. None of this is arbitrary or unfair, particularly given the previously discussed truth that, in Christ, God has already blessed and received all humanity! The odds are stacked, unquestionably, in our favor. Yes, we could be lost and wind our way down to \u201cdestruction\u201d (v. 6), but it will take some real work and stubbornness to resist God\u2019s saving plan and wooing Spirit. Sadly, some people will succeed in rejecting God\u2019s blessed way, but, friend, it shouldn\u2019t be you! In Christ, you are destined for salvation. Don\u2019t say no. Don\u2019t\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 walk in step with the wicked<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 or stand in the way sinners take\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 or sit in the company of mockers (v. 1)<\/span><\/p>\n

No, that\u2019s not your way. Your way is with those whose<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0delight is in the Law of the LORD<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0[and those who] meditate on His law day and night (v. 2)<\/span><\/p>\n

In making this decision, you are, the psalmist says, like a stable and fruitful \u201ctree planted by streams of water\u201d (v. 3). The fallen world is unpredictable, uncharitable, and unforgiving. We all know this all too well. But amidst the wild world\u2019s intractable and untraceable storms, God\u2019s eternal blessing in Christ persists and prevails.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me add one final layer before letting you go. Remember this one?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus answered, \u201cI am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father <\/span> except through me\u201d (John 14:6).<\/span><\/p>\n

Surely you see it. I mean, it jumped right out at you, didn\u2019t it? Jesus Himself is the Way! The way is not an abstract idea, a difficult-to-remember mantra, or a complex theological abstraction. No, the way is a Person! And Jesus is that Person!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He is the living lesson book on what it means to live the blessed life. He is the Model Man, the Holy Human. He has blazed the blessed trail and invited us to follow\u2014\u201cfollow Me,\u201d He delighted to say to confused but curious sinners. Surely you are one of those, right? I know I am.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a world gone mad, I\u2019m choosing \u201cthe blessed Way.\u201d I\u2019m choosing Jesus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How about you?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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