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The Godly Man: Psalm 1:1-2

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of Yahweh, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

Psalm 1:1–2 (LSB)

It is significant that this book of blessed meditations, often set to music and sung, begins with a contrast between the two men who make up the whole of humanity. While there is infinite variety in the human race, the contrasts presented here are the only ones that matter in the end. Every person fits into one of two categories: the righteous or the wicked. Regardless of whether we consider ourselves religious or not, we cannot escape the fact that we are either godly or ungodly. If I am not a God-fearing person, then I am ungodly. One cannot be both a good person and an ungodly one, for in God, good finds its meaning. None is good but God and nothing can make us good other than God. If we are uncomfortable with being categorized as wicked and ungodly, then we must turn to God and seek Him to make us righteous and godly.

The first thing God does for a person who comes to Him is something framed in the negative sense. God subtracts something from that seeker, which must completely change him from the inside out. Although these changes may manifest as externals, they reflect the true essence of a person, and the inner self must order them. Three things are unfailing indicators of any person: his walk, his stand, and his seat.

The godly man refuses to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Unfortunately, most of the human race follows this ungodly counsel. The sources of ungodly counsel vastly outnumber those of the godly. Godly parents are rare, and godly schools and universities are virtually non-existent. While religious structures may adorn landscapes of villages and cities, the true flocks of the living God are small, unimpressive, and often found in obscure places. If I have been fortunate enough to learn from the counsel and teachings of the godly, I consider myself inexpressibly blessed compared to those who have not. A godly man will not stand in the way of a sinner. We chart our course and take our positions based on what we learn from those who advise us. If our light is darkness, then we shall walk in darkness. However, as children of light, God’s people walk in the Light of the world, which is Christ.

Ultimately, we must find our rest and abide in what we have learned and where we have walked. Those who are taught and counseled by the ungodly will take their stand in the paths of the sinners of this world and will occupy the seat of scorners. Scorners have never been humbled, and nothing they encounter through their choices has the power to humble them. On the other hand, how blessed is the life and the fruit of the godly, planted in soil nourished by rivers of living water flowing from the throne of the Almighty. The sweet fragrance of Christ emanates from the blossoms of humility and grace rising up in their soul. The cold winds of autumn will not find their leaves withered in old age. Their lives will have been prosperous ones.

For further reading
A Commentary Through the Psalms by John Calvin
Psalms by W.S. Plumer
Prayer on the Psalms
Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis

Conrad Murrell

Conrad Murrell served in evangelistic ministry for over 50 years and was powerfully used by God in many Assemblies of God and Baptist churches in the United States and around the world. Throughout that time, Conrad pastored churches in Texas and Louisiana, successfully hosted numerous Bible conferences, engaged in continuous itinerant preaching, and diligently evangelized throughout the United States and Mexico. In addition to his fruitful ministry, he also wrote several books, many of which are read worldwide today. Mack Tomlinson's biography of Conrad Murrell is a testimony of God's grace and truth in the life of a man called by God for the proclamation of the Gospel.

Conrad Murrell was a significant contemporary and friend to two of the 20th Century's leading experts on revival, Leonard Ravenhill and Richard Owen Roberts, as well as a dearly loved co-laborer and associate of several other significant evangelists of our age, such as Manley Beasley and Al Whittinghill. Like them, he was a committed, passionate, and anointed itinerant minister. He was a man's man, a man of conviction and grit, but most importantly, he was God's man—a man completely devoted to his Lord and Savior.

October 28, 2023

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