Psalm 1:1,2 says: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."
Study: "The writer begins his psalm extolling the joys of obeying God and refusing to listen to those who discredit or ridicule Him. Our friends and associates can have a profound influence on us, often in very subtle ways. If we insist on friendships with those who mock what God considers important, we might sin by becoming indifferent to God's will. This attitude carries the same weight as mocking. Do your friends build up your faith or do they tear it down? True friends should help, not hinder, you to draw closer to God. Remember also, those who diligently try to obey God's will are blessed.
Your can learn how to follow God by meditating on His Word. Meditating means spending time reading and thinking about what you have read. It means asking yourself how you should change so you're living as God wants. Knowing and meditating on God's Word are the first steps toward applying it to your daily life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what He says.
The "law of the Lord," means the Scriptures: the first 5 books of Moses, the Prophets, and the other writings. The more we know of the whole scope of God's Word, the more resources we will have to guide us in our daily decisions." (end of Study)
There was a couple of years in our lives, when Jerry was in the Navy, when most of our friends were of the Jewish religion. One night all of us went bowling. It just so happened that four Christians were bowling against four Jewish people. We were having an awfully good time, even though none of us were good bowlers! However, one of our friends on the opposite team got a strike! He immediately stretched himself out in the form of a cross, with his head hung to one side onto his shoulder. The other team laughed heartily, but it hurt me to the quick! I have never forgotten that feeling! It was then that I decided to love those friends, but to never expect them to feel or know the love of Jesus Christ any differently until they saw His love through someone else. I was not very mature in my own Christian life at the time, but hurt never-the-less. Today, I will pray for him.
Later, when we had been out of the Navy for years, my spiritual life began to grow. I bought myself a new Bible with four different versions and began my years of study. I didn't have a lot of extra time in those days with four little ones to get ready for school and a good sized house to take care of. So I asked God to give me the time. And He did! Every night at two a.m. I would waken, get up, go downstairs, sit in the chair I called my prayer-chair, open my new Bible and begin reading, underlining, writing in the blank areas, learning and loving every minute of it. In an hour or 45 min. I would close my bible, go upstairs, and go back to bed thanking God for my time out. God loved me enough to show me how to learn!
I never did become the best Christian in the world, but my learning sure helped me be a good mother and a good wife. My time was spent perfectly, and I never felt tired the next day!
I wish--and will pray--that you might have the same ease in learning that I had. But there are many ways to find time to learn. Whenever my husband goes to a garage mechanic, he takes his bible, as there is usually a wait. And today we sit down together at the same time, but do our studies separately. First I pray, then I study, then I decide what I'm going to put in a blog!
And it is you--those of you out there that may not have anyone to encourage them-- you are important to me.
Won't you pray for me? I'm praying for you!
JoINMN
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