Opening: 20+ years ago, our family was given an opportunity born out of a sad time. My great uncle, my dad’s uncle, was very sick, and it was apparent he was dying. Sadly, he had a bad relationship with his son, who would be handling all the planning of his property. My dad correctly assessed that his cousin would come in from TX, sell the house, and everything else as quickly as possible, and then go back to his life in TX. My dad advised that if I had any interest in buying the house that it may be a possibility. I did, and as my dad predicted, his cousin rolled into town and, after we had expressed interest in the house, handed us the keys and said he was going back TX and after we fixed it up and were ready to buy it, let him know and we would finalize the sale.

While the house was structurally sound, my great-uncle had smoked continuously in it for over 50 years.  So, among other repairs, we went about the hard work of washing every surface of the house, as the walls bled yellowish brown nicotine when we washed them. We bought a special paint primer that would cover the stains and smell, not by the can, but by the 5-gallon bucket. I would go there after work, and my grandpa, who lived down the street, would often come by and paint or do other work. Even my co-workers came one night for a cleaning and painting party

Several hundred hours of hard work on this home paid off, and our family was able to get an affordable house and remain more financially stable. We’ve developed valuable skills along the way, and got to live three doors down from my grandparents, allowing them to meet and have a relationship with 3 of their 4 great-grandchildren.

• If we’d shied away from the work, we’d have missed out on all this. 
• Jesus is leading us to a renovation of our lives, infinitely more valuable than a house. He won’t just fix us; He’ll transform us.
• Every single day, we’re faced with choices. Choices about who we hang out with, what we watch, what we listen to, and how we treat others. Each of those choices puts us on a path, and today we’re going to look at what the Bible has to say about two very different paths.

Psalm 1:1-6

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. 4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

• The devil knows man, and he knows you. His sales pitch for disobedience preys upon your lust, greed, arrogance, insecurity, and fear. His path seems cheap and easy. He’ll gleefully lead you to your death and enlist you in his work to destroy others. 
• Jesus stands on the other road. He tells you right up front that His road is difficult, narrow, and costs all you have. A lifetime of repenting, surrendering, serving, and trusting lies ahead. 
• Let’s look at these two paths
• Verses 1-3: The Righteous Path. Verse 1: The psalm starts by telling us what the blessed person avoids. It’s a progression:
  •  ‘walk in step with the wicked,’ ‘stand in the way that sinners take,’ ‘sit in the company of mockers.’
  •  It’s not just about doing bad things; it’s about getting closer and closer to people and places that lead you away from God.”
  • Avoid bad influences, stand firm in beliefs.
• Verse 2: But it’s not just about what you avoid; it’s about what you do. What does the righteous person do?
  • They ‘delight in the law of the Lord.’ What does it mean to ‘delight’ in something? It means to truly love and enjoy it. It’s not a chore. It’s not just reading the Bible because you have to; it’s reading it because you want to know God more.
  • And they ‘meditate on his law day and night.’ This means thinking about it, praying about it, and letting it shape your mind and your heart.”
  • Love God’s Word, meditate on it.
• Verse 3: Now, what are the results of living this way? The psalm gives us a beautiful picture: a tree planted by streams of water.
  • What does a tree need to be strong and healthy? Water. Just like that tree, we are strong and healthy when we are ‘planted’ near God.
  • What are the results for this tree? It ‘yields its fruit in season’ and its ‘leaf does not wither.’
  • This isn’t a promise that everything will always be easy, but it is a promise that we will be fruitful and strong through all of life’s seasons, even the hard ones.”
  • Strong and fruitful, whatever they do prospers.
• Now let’s look at the other path. Verses 4-6: The Wicked Path.
  • Verse 4: The psalm says, ‘Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.’ What is chaff? It’s the worthless part of the wheat, the husk. It has no value, no substance, and is easily blown away.
  • When we build our lives on things other than God—popularity, money, or anything else—our lives have no real foundation. When a storm comes, we get easily blown away.
  • The disobedient path is worthless like chaff, easily blown away.
• Verses 5-6: The end of the wicked path is not a good one.
  • The psalm says they ‘will not stand in the judgment.’ What this means is that their way of life is temporary. It leads to destruction.
  • But look at the last verse: ‘For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.’ The key here is that God is active in both. He protects and guides the righteous, but the path chosen by the wicked leads them away from Him and toward a bad end.
  • The disobedient path is temporary and leads to destruction.
    
• So, which path are you on? This isn’t about being perfect. We all mess up. The point of this psalm is to remind us that we have a choice every day. We can choose to fill our lives with things that build us up in God, or we can choose things that tear us down and lead to a life without real purpose or lasting joy.