Established!

“A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.” Proverbs 12:3

Reading the above verse this morning reminded me of something the girls were sharing with me last night. An illustration that our pastor’s wife shared in their Sunday School class yesterday was the story behind the Nestle Toll House Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. The illustration concluded with this statement:

“The most popular cookie of all time came about all because a bit of chocolate held its ground and didn’t melt when the heat was on.”

The challenge given to the young ladies was – “Be a chocolate chip!”  Be the one who, when around peers, refuses to “melt”. Be the one who stands when the heat is on!  And I say, “Amen!”

From the verse at the beginning of this post, we see that the confidence needed to be established – to stand alone – will NOT come from a life of wickedness. The definition for established is:

“Set; fixed firmly; founded; ordained; enacted; ratified; confirmed.”

Loose, careless living does not produce the strength to stand. It is a personal relationship with Christ and a sincere desire to live a life in accordance with God’s Word…a desire strong enough to produce action…that will result in an established life. The question could be this:

Is our desire for an established life stronger than our desire for that sin that will cause us to continue on in instability?

Think about it. If you are still young, what does your future hold if you do not let go of anything that may be hindering you from becoming established?  Do you really want to be unstable? Think of the devastating effects a wishy-washy way of life will have on your decision-making. As parents…as grandparents…what sort of example are we setting for our children/grandchildren?  Do we not love them more than our own “pet sin”…to set before them an example of stability?

Psalm 1 is an excellent contrast of two lives – the godly and the ungodly – and the end result of these two choices. The life of the godly is compared to a tree. Sound familiar? – “root of the righteous…”  The ungodly life, however, is likened to chaff driven away by the wind – unstable; unestablished; wishy-washy. What life will we choose?  If we look at the results, it doesn’t seem to be much of a choice, does it?

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”  Psalm 1