Psalm 1:1
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,
Until a few years ago, ‘Blessed’ wasn’t a word you came across
much outside the Bible. But the invention of the hashtag has changed all that!
In the world of social media, being #Blessed often seems to involve being impossible stylish (for women) or having a flash new car (for men). Prosperity gospel preachers would agree with
the world’s view that blessing from God is measured by material wealth.
But in the world of the psalmist, being blessed is very different.
Jesus tells us that the blessed are the poor in spirit, the weak, the persecuted and those who mourn. Their blessing is not material comfort or worldly success. No. They are blessed by being citizens of the kingdom of heaven, children of God, adopted into his family through the saving death of Jesus.
The blessed person is the person who belongs to God. Rather than walking in step with the wicked they walk in step with the Spirit. Rather than standing alongside sinners, joining in with the crowd, they stand alongside Jesus, even when that means persecution. Rather than sitting down and getting comfy with the mockers, raising their voices to join in ridiculing what is good, they sit quietly at the feet of Jesus and listen to his words.
Naturally, this isn’t where we belong. Being part of the company of God’s people is a blessing, given to us by God. So today, let’s give thanks that we are truly blessed, far beyond anything that the world of Twitter and Instagram can understand. And let’s pray that we would stand and walk and sit, and speak and think and live not like the world around us, but as the blessed children of God that we are.
