Let God’s Word Be Your ‘Food for Thoughts’! (Part 1)

Psalm 1 contains important instructions for who wants God’s best.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:1–3)

Take note of the closing sentence: “Whatever he does prospers.” That is finding God’s best; that is true success. This can be true of any man who meets the conditions. The conditions are fivefold. The first three are negative; in other words, they are things you must not do:

1. You must not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

2. You must not stand in the way of sinners.

3. You must not sit in the seat of mockers.

The key issue is where you get your counsel. If you get your counsel from the wrong source, then your whole life will go wrong. The three negative conditions are then followed by two positive conditions:

1. Your delight must be in the law of the Lord.

2. On His law, you must meditate day and night.

Notice that both of the positive conditions center on the law of the Lord, or the Word of God. First, you have to delight yourself in His law. Second, you have to meditate on it day and night. Notice again that right meditation is the key to success—meditating on God’s Word day and night.

That does not mean just spending ten minutes a day reading your Bible, but it means to so fill your mind with the Bible that it occupies your thoughts all the day long. Then you will always be feeding on that which is positive, faith-inspiring, and upbuilding. Right thoughts are important, for what you think will decide how you live.

I have sometimes said that human personality is like an iceberg: seven-eighths is below the surface. Very little of the iceberg actually shows above the surface in comparison with what is below the surface. It is also true with human personality.

What a person is thinking about is going to determine the course of his or her life. If you meditate on the right things and live the right kind of life, then you will get the results that God has promised: success and prosperity—God’s best.