Living the Blessed Life

We all want to live the blessed life. Our hope entering this new year is that our life will be blessed. What does the blessed life look like?

Psalm 1 in the Bible offers profound insights into this quest. This Psalm not only defines what it means to be blessed but also outlines the path to achieving a truly abundant life.

What does it mean to be 'Blessed'? We often use the word blessed in connection to something good that happens to us - a new job, a new car, a new house, a pay hike, etc. In Psalm 1, however, the term 'blessed' carries a dual connotation:

• Abundant Living from God: It refers to a life enriched by God's grace, characterized by spiritual abundance and inner peace.

• Visible Blessing to Others: It also means living in a way that is visibly blessed, a life that others recognize as fruitful and fulfilling.
  

The emphasis in Psalm 1 is on the second aspect: a good life that is evident to those around us.

Part of one's pursuit in life is to preserve, nurture and nourish the life God so graciously gives us. This life includes the whole of our being - the parts where we think, feel, connect with others, decision making, how we contribute to the world, all of it. All of us need to find the right rhythms in life to ensure we are not only cherishing this God-life but also nurturing it in the way God wants it to be much like the environment a seed is planted.

What Influences Us?

One of the ways one would do this, as described in the first two verses. is by watching what one's influences are. The blessed one does not allow themselves to be influenced by the wicked (walking in the counsel of the wicked). They do this by exercising boundaries that guide their sitting and standing - the company they keep and where they keep it. It is no secret that one's company, closest friends are a window into the future of that person. Like the old saying goes, "Tell me who your friends and I'll tell you who you are and what your future is like". Yes, it may be a bit too general, but there is truth to it, nonetheless. We are bombarded everyday by devices, apps, news and ads that are fighting for our attention. Attention can be certainly deemed a scarce and valuable resource in today's world.

As tough as it is, one of the things we learn is to fight to take our attention back and fix it in the places that influences us in ways that are God-honoring. That is a struggle. But a necessary one.

What Delights us?

This is connected to what one thinks about. The meditation of our heart. Our thoughts are where we create, we scheme, plan and strategize. Therefore, the quality of our thoughts will determine the quality of our actions and character. I love how Craig Groeschel puts it - "Our lives are always moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts." Our thoughts shape our destiny.

The blessed one delights and meditates on "the law of the Lord". In other words, they base their thought life on what God wants how God has designed this life to be lived.

This year let's find ourselves in Christ:

• Know that we are seated with Him. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4-6

• Choose to walk in Love: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

• Stand in God's power (made perfect in our weaknesses) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11

What Nourishes us?

How does the blessed one ensure this constant stream of life from God?

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. Psalms 1:3

Here's a question - What kind of reframing or restructuring do I need to do to ensure that my life is being nourished with God's life?

Is it a habit of waking up earlier to take some time to meditate on God's word? Is it the habit of taking some time to read or listen to someone who helps us understand God's will for our lives better? Is it developing the habit of praying as a family?

We tend to be intentional about creating the habits in our lives for what matters. What nourishes you? To live the blessed life that is a life overflowing with God's life, we need to be planted by that stream of water, The metaphor alludes to a life that is perpetually bearing fruit because of the continuous stream flowing and nourishing it. That's where you and I want to be. Near the place where we are hearing from and being nourished by God's presence in us.

This year let's pay attention to what influences, delights and nourishes us. The blessed life is the fruit of this kind of living.