Key scripture- “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1:1-6).

Did you know that Psalm 1, which is an ancient hymnal, addresses one of life’s most common problems, which is: compromise?

Please understand, I’m not referring to those give-and-take times so necessary for living in harmony with one another. Without that healthy kind of compromise, nations could never find a meeting ground for peaceful coexistence and family members would forever be at each other’s throats.

No, this Psalm is addressing compromising with wrong, allowing the slow-moving tentacles of evil to wrap themselves around you, squeezing the joys and rewards of obedience from our lives. Pastor, Charles Swindoll, says that It happens so silently, so subtly, we hardly realize it’s taking place. Like an enormous oak that has decayed for years from within and then suddenly falls, those who permit the eroding grind of compromise can expect an ultimate collapse.

This kind of compromise reminds me of the construction of a city hall and fire station in a small northern Pennsylvania community. All the citizens were so proud of their new red brick structure—a long-awaited dream come true. Not too many weeks after moving in, however, strange things began to happen. Several doors failed to shut completely and a few windows wouldn’t slide open very easily. As time passed, ominous cracks began to appear in the walls. Within a few months, the front door couldn’t be locked since the foundation had shifted, and the roof began to leak. By and by, the little building that was once the source of great civic pride had to be condemned. The culprit proved to be a controversial coal extraction process called “longwall mining,” deep in the earth beneath the foundation. Soil, rock, and coal had been removed by the tons so that the building sat on a foundation that had no support of its own. Because of this man-made erosion, the building began to sink.

So it is with compromise in your life. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, one rationalization leads to another, which triggers a series of equally damaging alterations in a life that was once stable, strong, and reliable. That seems to be the concern of the psalmist as he composes his first song, which encourages us to resist even the slightest temptation to compromise our convictions.

The First Psalm is brief and simple, direct and profound. Even a casual reading of these six verses leads us to see that it is filled with contrasts between two different walks of life—the godly and the ungodly. A simple yet acceptable outline of Psalm 1 would be:

I. The Godly Life (Psalm 1:1–3).

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

II. The Ungodly Life (1:4–6).

“Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

God doesn’t judge people on the basis of race, sex, or national origin. He judges them on the basis of their faith in him and their response to his revealed will. Those who diligently try to obey God’s will are blessed. They are like healthy, fruit-bearing trees planted along a riverbank with strong roots (Jeremiah 17:7), and God promises to watch over them. God’s wisdom guides their lives. In contrast, those who don’t trust and obey God have meaningless lives that blow away like dust.

You can learn how to follow God and avoid compromise by meditating on his Word. This means spending time reading and thinking about what you have read. It means asking God to show you what needs to change in your life so that you live like God wants you to live. Knowing and thinking about God’s Word are the first steps toward applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what He says and then do it.

Only two paths of life lie before us—God’s way of obedience or the way of rebellion and destruction. Be sure to choose God’s path and do not compromise, because the path you choose determines how you will spend eternity.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, this Psalm, like everything else in Your Word, is so full of wisdom. I know that the more I delight in obeying You, the more fruitful I am because You are my source of nourishment. I am like a tree and You are my stream, and as long as I rely on Your Word to nourish and feed me I will produce the fruit of the Spirit, which is; love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). On the other hand, when I compromise, I separate myself from You. Help me to be wise, and never compromise, so that the fruit I bear will be good and I will receive Your approval. Just as a tree soaks up water and bears luscious fruit, I soak up and delight in Your Word, and by doing that I produce actions and attitudes that honor You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

Credit: The Holy Bible
Psalm 1:1-6
Campusbiblechurch.com
Google Images

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