PSALMS ONE: THE WHOLE DUTY OF A BELIEVER

I was telling Charity last night, I loved teaching the Teens at West Handley Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas in 1968. May 2, 2008 -- 40 years ago, on Psalms 1. Then I remembered teaching Psalms in Roanoke, Virginia to our youth in 1964. Psalms has been a part my thinking for a long time. From the mountains of Virginia to the cities of Texas, to the farming and hunting land of Kansas to the horse country of Kentucky and to the valley of the Ohio River.

We are rich indeed when we turn from our own wicked ways. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." (Ps 1:1) But to reach this point, His Law must first be on our minds and hearts. Without the consideration of His commandments, there is no walking in them.. The Psalmist knew this and tells us that the same one who is blessed is the one who considers and delights in the Law of the Lord. "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." (Ps 1:2) Again, we must ask, "Where is my mind in all of this?" "Am I concerned with such things, or is my mind too filled with the world that such blessed meditations cannot enter?" It is not only a blessing to do good, but to meditate on it day and night as well.

With the knowledge that God made us and saved us that we should fear. The forerunner to obedience is the meditation of His Laws. They should be in our hearts and minds always, for they should be our joy. "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." (Psa 1:2 ) They are not cumbersome to us, but rather a constantly yielding stream of refreshment. He feeds us with their streams of living water so that whatever we do, we will prosper in Him. (Ps 1:3) It is a blessed life where our hearts are filled with wonderful things from His Law, bearing fruit in every season to the glory of God. Even under the rod of our Father, we are blessed, for He teaches us His ways. (Ps 94:12)

With the knowledge that God made us and saved us that we should fear Him and obey Him, we should pursue this with all that is in us. Indeed, it is the first and great commandment. "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Mat 22:37) And we should go to Him daily, seeking the desire and strength to do His will. "Deliver us from evil."

It should not be hard to spend time in the Word, it’s not been hard over the last forty years to be in the Word day and night. (In one form or another: reading, talking, writing, listening, etc) I was glad there were twenty four hours in a day, because I usually had to work in the secular world at least eight hours, and then I had the joy of doing ministry for another ten hours. I never found it cumbersome to start studying a sermon on Monday, preach on Wednesday and then get ready for three sermons on Sunday.

While it’s true when you are a pastor/teacher you are in the Word daily. I must confess when you are not in the pastorate, you do find yourself busy with the routine daily activities of the day. Often you are distracted by the events of the day. Thus we need to keep focused daily on our duty or privilege to think on the Laws of Christ, and the Glory of the Lord, and read His word. Listen to a sermon, read a sermon, read a Doctrinal book, keep your mind fresh with the Word of God.

Psalms 1 is not just for pastors but for all those who call themselves Christians.

• Paul prayed for the Colossians, and in His prayer we see both elements of the whole duty of man,
  Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: