Who Influences You? | Morning Routine for October 19

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.  —Psalm 1:1–3 (ESV)

Who or what are the greatest influences in your life? Psalm 1 challenges us to reflect on this question. The psalmist encourages his readers to flee the advice of the wicked and delight in the instruction of the Lord. He says that when people delight in the Lord’s instruction, they are like trees planted beside streams of water. They will be abundantly fruitful and prosperous. 

The contrast in the psalm is between the ‘blessed’ man and the ‘wicked’, whose ‘way will perish’. Notice how the ‘blessed’ person avoids the wicked, sinners, and scoffers—their ‘counsel’, ‘way’, and ‘seat’. This should cause us to consider the kinds of people we surround ourselves with. Next, the ‘blessed’ person pursues and delights in the ‘law of the Lord’, giving God’s word constant attention and consideration. That is the sort of counsel you can trust! 

Psalm 1 is a great passage to revisit on a regular basis, to regularly evaluate the influences in our lives. Its message is also one to encourage those children or students in your life to hear—who or what are your greatest influences? Are you surrounding yourself with godly counselors? Are you growing in your knowledge of God’s Word, understanding Him and His ways more and more? This is the way of the righteous. This is the path to fruitfulness and prosperity.