Reading back over Psalm 1 and discussing it with my wife, she brought up an interesting thought which I want to mention here. I find it quite refreshing to hear points like this made without any need to reference systematic theology textbooks or commentary on the original Hebrew text.
Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
How often do we walk in the counsel of the ungodly without even realizing it? It is not enough to refrain from leaning on a pagan as a consultant or confidant. The blessed man in the first verse of Psalm 1 is not simply avoiding the advice of an unconverted acquaintance. The application here should extend to a much broader view of walking in counsel.
What is the dominating influence on your mind in any given day? If you have a quiet time in the Scriptures in the morning and in the evening, but give your mind over to futile pursuits during the other 15 waking hours of the day, what is the net result (humanly speaking)? Now, I am not trying to say that those who labor in the "workforce" during the day or keep home during the day are engaged in futile pursuits. My point is to say that when you have a choice about the companions who surround you or the various media of entertainment, how is the bulk of your time spent?
Do you watch or listen to "conservative" but frequently godless talk radio or news channels? Are you swallowed up with sports statistics? Are some of the "safe" websites you visit actually humanistic with no health value spiritually? Do you take to heart the exhortations from Oprah and Dr. Phil?
Allow me to clear the air about whether or not I consider these things sinful. I often catch portions of the Rush Limbaugh radio show, I like Sportscenter, and some of the websites I access have no mention of God anywhere. I don't take daytime television personalities to heart, but I overhear a lot of their palaver at my workplace. So the question goes beyond whether or not you receive in some way the counsel of the ungodly. The issue here is, "Do you walk in the counsel of the ungodly?...Is ungodly influence the primary influence on your mind in any given day?"
These are helpful questions to ask. We need to be aware of the cultural assumptions that often plague us, as if there is no such thing as an unhealthy attachment to talk radio or "innocent" television programs or web-surfing.
And by the way, reading this weblog is very safe and highly encouraged.
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