Psalms 1
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Walk. Stand. Sit. These action verbs define to us the gentle fading of a person's relationship with God. Maybe we started with good intentions like reaching out to our non-Christian friends. But little by little our influence over them is overtaken by their influence over us. And we not only "walk" but stop to "stand" alongside them, speaking like them, dressing like them... eventually we "sit" and engage and we've forgotten our purpose... they've won us over. It's never usually one big thing that turns us around, but the little compromises that we make.
Galatians 5:7-9
7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?8That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough."
Looking back at all the camps we've had, we usually leave being fired up and focused. But as we enter our schools, hang out with our friends, listen to our professors, the light in us fades. So what do we do? Lock ourselves in our rooms? Become loners? Never leave camp? Of course not!
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
This is why our devotions are so important. Like wood to keep our fire burning, we need to feed on the Word of God constantly. In the dictionary, the word "devotion" is defined as "love, loyalty or enthusiasm for a person, activity or cause." How devoted are we to God? The same way we constantly talk with our close friends in school, the only way we'll get to know God more is to keep talking to Him. As the saying goes, "it takes two to tango." No matter how much God keeps running after us, we have to do our part as well. Reading the Word of God, praying to Him (even sometimes venting to Him) equips us and keeps us in check everyday as we go to school, hang out with our friends, listen to our professors... in everything! The more we know God, the easier it is to turn away sin. If we know what we are standing for, we will not be easily swayed.
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