January 1, 2009

The lyrics you memorize dictate the quality of your life song

Psalm 1

Todd Wagner
Thursday's Devo

January 1, 2009

Thursday's Devo

January 1, 2009

Central Truth

Memorizing the lyrics to these songs will dramatically increase the chance that the song of your life will be one worth singing about.

Key Verse | Psalm 1:2

Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord's commands; he meditates on his commands day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

Psalm 1

Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

Blessed is the man 1 1:1 The singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law 2 1:2 Or instruction of the LORD,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will 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 wicked will perish.

Footnotes

[1] 1:1 The singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface
[2] 1:2 Or instruction

Dive Deeper | Psalm 1

I’ve always loved music.

I remember hustling down to the record store to buy 45’s of Terry Jack’s Seasons in the Sun, War’s Cisco Kid, Grand Funk Railroad’s The Locomotion, and Reunited by Peaches and Herb (all still worth the $0.99 on iTunes if you like to shake your booty). As I got older, I joined Columbia House's Record and Tape Club. I got my 12 albums for a penny and would fulfill my membership obligation quickly before I got stuck with the dreaded automatically shipped “selection of the month.” I definitely got stuck with some duds because I forgot to send back the "no thanks” slip in time.  

Now that I have completely lost connection with anyone born after the Bicentennial, not to mention the respect of everyone else, let me try to get you back.
I hope you love music, too. Or at least songs. 
If you do, I hope to motivate you to go back over some golden oldies. Just like you found yourself singing along with classics, even though you never sat down to memorize a lyric, I pray you "spin" these little gems on the turntable of your heart so much that their lyrics are seared into your conscience. 
While the lyric to a KC and the Sunshine Band tune may take you back and make you smile, it will never bless you like the “songs” you are about to dive into as we journey through the Psalms and other Wisdom Books this year. 
Just one catch…you have to do more than sing these songs.

You have to live them.

You have to let the lyrics shape your every thought, attitude, and action. (You always told your parents the lyrics didn't influence you, but now you know better.) So listen to these words. Memorize these lyrics. If you tune in, I am sure it won’t be long before you have "reason to sing a new song, praising our God . . . so that [you] might swear [your] allegiance to him and trust in the Lord!" (Psalm 40:3)

And that's something worth singin' about.

Discussion Questions

1. What singers have you been listening to lately? Would they be characterized as "wicked" or "scoffers"?
2. What "fruit" can you trace back to the songs you listen to a lot?
3. Does your tune change when the heat comes? 
4. When is the last time you picked up a pen and wrote your own lyrics celebrating the goodness of God? 
5. Read Ephesians 5:18-21. What do the songs you sing have to say about the Spirit you are following?