Biggest Loser Daily Devotional - Psalm 1

This post is from the Biggest Loser Daily Devotional that we're doing at Family Church. I'll post my entries here at the Stomp Box, but if you would like to receive all 47 blogs from the FC staff, then email me and I'll your email address to the distribution list.

Opening Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for meeting with me now. I desire to seek Your face. I want to know you better. I ask that you come and visit with me now as I read from Your Word and mediate on its message for my life. Thank you for guiding me into Your presence and truth. Help me to make and keep this commitment to a daily time or prayer and Bible Study. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Psalm 1
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destructionPsalms 1:1-6 (NLT)

Devotional
It's appropriate, I think, that we're starting this Bible study and devotional with a Psalm that is all about the power of Bible study and devotions in our lives. Over the next 46 days you'll receive a message just like this one. It will have a prayer, a Psalm, and a brief inspiring message that hopefully will help you experience a little of God's presence in your life before you jump into your busy day.

When you think of meditation what comes to mind? For me, it's Buddhist monks sitting cross-legged in the Himalayan mountains, saying "umm" and searching for the elusive state of nirvana.

For the author of this Psalm meditating is thinking about the laws of God day and night. He is processing God's character, His eternal qualities, His divine nature, His personal activity in our lives, and His love for each of us.

What's the result of thinking about God's law - His character and words? We have joy. We begin to take delight in God. I'll take a cup of that with some cream and sugar to go, please.

Today, take a moment and think about our God. Let's meditate on God's nature. Who is God? What is God? What has God done for you? Right now ask yourself those questions. Maybe even write down your answers in a journal.

God has been so good to us that it's hard not to get all happy when we think about God. What better way to kick start our day than by remembering our creator and savior?

Look again at verse 3. What's the end result of this meditation and joy? I'll let you meditate on that for awhile.

Closing Prayer
God, I thank you for who you are and what you've done. I can rely on you. You never change and you love me always. Fill me with your joy today and help me to think about you all day long. Bless my day with your presence. Let my thoughts be thoughts of you. Let my words be the ones you are speaking. Let my actions be from your will. I praise you and thank you for who you are in Jesus' name, amen.