There are two ways of life. Which do you choose?

Are you going the righteous way?

Are you going the wrong way? Do your daily decisions reflect Godly living? This short message helps us look at how our choices matter each day because they add up to the direction we’re headed.

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Do your daily choices reflect your relationship with God?

Are you heading in the right direction?

Psalm 1 reveals that you have a choice of two ways of life:

• The way of the righteous, or;

• The way of the wicked.

“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, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 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.

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 leads to destruction” (Psalm 1:1-6, NIV).

The person who follows the way of the righteous, is blessed and happy; fruitful. The person who follows the way of the wicked, withers and is dry, like chaff.

The way of the righteous is a season of fruitful growth. The way of the wicked, is an endless downward spiral.

The Lord watches over the way of the righteous and they prosper. The way of the wicked ends in destruction and they will perish.

There is no middle ground. You’re either choosing one way or the other as if you are choosing to go right or left on a single road.

Two different destinations. Two different outcomes. Your destination depends upon the direction you take. One direction leads to blessing and happiness; the other leads to withering and death.

In Matthew 7 Jesus spoke of opposites:

• The narrow gate and the wide gate.

• Two trees, a good tree and a bad tree.

• The wise man and the foolish man.

• A good foundation on the rock and the other foundation on sand (the bad foundation ended in destruction).

The author of Psalm 1 gives a clear picture of two ways of life: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked.

We can see this from two different points of view. From a negative view point, it is a warning for the wicked; from the positive view, it is a way of daily blessing for the righteous.

The negative view illustrates the progression of the way of the wicked. It is a progression going from walking with, to standing with, to sitting with, and ultimately joining in with others who are at odds with the righteous. It is a progression of hearing wicked counsel to following that counsel to associating with those who mock the righteous.

To me, the picture of a righteous person is someone who stays clear of wicked counsel. The righteous person will not settle down and become friends with those who mock the Lord or the way of the righteous.

The difference between the two ways cannot be any clearer.

The blessed person delights in the law of the Lord, and meditates on the law of the Lord. The blessed person is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit, is always green, and prospers.

The wicked person is the opposite, like chaff, useless, and blown away by wind, where the wicked person prefers time with sinners. The wicked will not be able to stand in the time of judgement or assemble with the righteous.

With loving and careful eyes, the Lord will watch over the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish.

The difference between the two ways of life cannot be any clearer. We see this in various verses:

• “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way” (Proverbs 4:14-15).

• “I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked” (Psalm 26:4-5).

• “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

• “They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah17:8).

• “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

It is clear: one way leads to spiritual life and the other leads to spiritual death and destruction.

The way of the righteous: Delight in the law; they are happy and they are known by God; they meditate and ponder on the word of God.

The way of the wicked, the ungodly, is the opposite: They reject, mock and scoff at the law of the Lord and follow the advice and plan of the world; they inwardly wither and are spiritually dry; the wicked go astray and are spiritually lost and destined for destruction.

There are only two ways of life. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

What will you choose?

I want to encourage you to meditate on the word of God. I want to encourage you to consider what direction in life you are headed.

I hope to inspire you to:

• Avoid the way of the wicked.

• Avoid the counsel of the world.

• Avoid the seat of the wayward soul.

And instead, be firmly planted near the streams of living waters. Be planted near the source of spiritual life and know the way of the righteous is found in the scriptures, in Christ alone.

I challenge you to inspire others to live and choose the way of the righteous for it is the only way of truly being happy and blessed.

I choose Jesus, the way of the righteous. What about you?

Suggested Praise and Worship

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This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.