Did you know that the first word in the book of Psalms is “happy?”
I did not.
But this Sunday I learned that little gem.
I also learned that Psalm one is quite the happiness guide. It lays out exactly what actions to avoid and what actions to pursue on our paths to find true happiness.
Which seems a useful resource as I resolve to make New Year resolutions…
Happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
psalm 1
Hoping you all have a blessed 2024!
Nice.
As I read Psalm 1 to start our new year, it came to be that if we followed those steps to happiness, then we would truly feel Psalm 100. So here it is in the New King James translation.
Psalm 100: A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Blessings for 2024.