What the Blessed Life Is
The blessed life God has for you is one of peace and joy. It is a life that is free from guilt and shame. It means eternal life with Him and having a personal relationship with Jesus. The blessed life means being productive and succeeding in everything you do. The question is what is God’s way for being blessed? What do we need to do to experience this blessed life?
God’s Way for Being Blessed
God has a very specific way for being blessed and Psalms 1:1-6 gives us a very clear and simple answer to God’s way for being blessed. It says,
Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers. Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord and reflects on his teachings day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside streams—a tree that produces fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. He succeeds in everything he does.
Wicked people are not like that. Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away. That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.
The Lord knows the way of righteous people, but the way of wicked people will end
God describes the blessed life as – the “righteous life in Christ”. Living a righteous life is God’s way for being blessed.
How to Experience the Blessed Life
Living a righteous life and being righteous aren’t the same thing. Every person who puts their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior are made “righteous”. (2Corinthians 5:17) Being righteous is a gift we receive by faith. We don’t deserve it and we can’t earn it.
In Philippians 3:9 the Apostle Paul give us this powerful insight. He says, we need to “be found in him, not having a righteousness of (our) own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
If you’re in Christ you are righteous, not because of anything you’ve done, but based on your faith in Jesus. However, being righteous does not always produce a blessed life. Righteousness does however, empower you so you have the ability to live out a righteous life which does produce the blessed life.
4 Things We Need to Do to Live the Righteous Life
Psalms 1 give us 4 very specific things we need to do to live a right life;
- Don’t follow the advice of the wicked. Today we are flooded with advice from many different sources that seem wise and reasonable, but they are contrary to the ways of God. We need to follow what God says and not the philosophies, traditions, ideas, and teachings that contradict the Word of God.
- Don’t follow the ways of the world (sinners). This simply means don’t hang out with those who choose to go the way of the world. If your friends go to the night club or out carousing and drinking don’t follow along. When the conversations or actions of those around you go a direction that is not in line with the ways of God don’t follow.
- Don’t join in with mockers (especially of God and the things of God). People who take God’s name in vain are mockers. Those who don’t give God glory and credit for all the great things He has done are scorners. Don’t agree with them or even appear to be like minded.
- Delight in following the teachings (God’s Word) of the Lord. The only way you can delight in something is to be familiar with it. The one thing we need to do to experience the good life is live by the Word of God. This means we need to read it, study it,listen to it, meditate on it, speak it, and then do it! Our lives are enriched and prolonged when we follow and live out the Word of God (Proverbs 3:1-2).
When you follow these 4 instructions you will experience the blessed life. The blessed life is not always an easy life. It’s not a life without challenges. Following the teachings of God’s Word and choosing to not walk in the way of the world requires perseverance and strength, but they bring great blessing.
God compares living a blessed life to that of a tree planted along a stream or river that produces fruit and never withers. (vs. 3) Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues righteousness and mercy finds life, prosperity and honor.” The blessed life is living the righteous life!