The Blessed Man of Psalm 1

Blessed 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.     These are the opening verses of Psalm 1. This Psalm is sort of the introduction to the whole Book of Psalms. It sets the stage for the ongoing discussion of what the righteous man is like, what he does, what he thinks about, and what he avoids.     This psalm kicks off by telling us what a truly blessed life doesn't look like. It’s an important warning: watch where you’re walking, who you’re listening to, and what you're settling into. There's a kind of slide that can happen: • ̈ First, you just walk alongside the wrong crowd. • ̈ Then you stop and linger where trouble hangs out. • ̈ Before you know it, you’re sitting down, totally comfortable with scoƬng and cynicism. It’s subtle. And that’s the danger. The path away from God rarely feels dramatic—it’s usually slow and sneaky.     Then we have the flip side. The person who’s truly blessed loves the things God says. They’re not just checking the Bible off a reading list. They delight in it. They chew on it, mull it over, carry it in their minds during quiet moments or busy days. They spend time meditating on the word of God. God’s Word becomes like a favorite song stuck in your head. It becomes a guide for our lives.     This kind of person, someone who chooses God's wisdom over the world's noise, is like a strong tree planted near water (Psalm 1:3). Even when life gets tough, their soul doesn’t dry up. Their life shows purpose and their faith continues to grow, season after season. The person who has God’s word at the center of their life is able to truly prosper in what they do. It may not look like what the world considers success, but it is a life that is pleasing to God.     In today's world, it's easy to be swept along by whatever’s trending. But Psalm 1 reminds us that where we walk, stand, and sit—who we listen to and what we value—shapes our life more than we think. So here's a simple challenge. Take a moment today to ask yourself, “What voices am I letting shape me?” And maybe crack open your Bible—not just to read it, but to let it shape you into the person God wants you to be.

- Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/

Isn't That Convenient

By Dale J. Babinsky     In today's fast-paced world, convenience has become a significant aspect of our daily lives. The definition of convenience often involves little trouble or effort, and we tend to favor it because it allows us to avoid going out of our way and makes it easier to be lazy. However, convenience is not always beneficial.     While convenience can make our lives easier, it can also lead to negative consequences. For instance, it can cause us to overspend. Imagine needing something that costs $10, but you end up spending $50 to get free shipping, thinking you saved $4.99 in shipping fees. Additionally, convenience can lead to loneliness. With apps that allow us to order food and complete transactions without speaking to anyone, our electronic devices have made things easier but at what cost?     There was a time in the history of Israel when convenience became a significant problem. Solomon's sins, as mentioned in 1 Kings 11:29-33, led to the division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah. Jeroboam took ten tribes to the North and, in an attempt to make worship easier for his subjects, he built and fortified a new capital city, Shechem, in the tribal area of Ephraim. He was more concerned about maintaining his power than the well-being of his subjects, fearing they would return to the house of David if they went to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices.     Jeroboam's solution was to make worship easy for his subjects by setting up two golden calves, with one in Bethel and one in Dan. This act was reminiscent of the golden calf incident in Exodus 32. The people, preferring the convenience, accepted this new form of worship. However, this was not the worship the Lord desired. It was in the wrong place, in the wrong manner, with the wrong priests, and directed towards the wrong subject.     Choosing convenience over what God wants can lead to dire consequences. Jeroboam's actions led to punishment in the days of Josiah, as prophesied in 1 Kings 13:1-2 and fulfilled in 2 Kings 23:15 -16. Amos was sent to Israel with a message that they would be led away captive, as mentioned in Amos 7:10-13. If we choose convenience over God's commands, our worship becomes vain and useless.     God desires what He wants, and it might not always be convenient for us. It may not be a convenient time or place, and there may be other things we would rather be doing. However, convenience does not please the Lord. Our heart and desire must be for Him, and we should want to do what pleases the Lord, even if it requires effort. Choosing convenience over God's commands can lead to consequences we do not want to face. Instead, we should desire to be with Him in eternity.

- Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/

Does Moral Law Demand a Moral Lawgiver?

By Dale J. Babinsky
    Have you ever wondered about how we know what is right or what is wrong? For instance, in most of the civilized societies around the world it is illegal and considered immoral to murder another person, or to steal from them. How is it that different groups of people, separated by geography, all came to the same realization that these activities are wrong?    Perhaps the sense of right and wrong is nothing more than the majority opinion within these civilized societies. Most people just think that these activities are the wrong thing to do. Is that it? If that is the basis for right and wrong, then what if a society decided by a vote that it was okay to kill off people from a certain race? Or that it was okay to enslave people who have a different skin color? Would the majority approval for such behavior make that behavior “right”?    It would seem clear that just because a majority of people say that something is right does not make it so. The civilized society of Nazi Germany made the determination that it was “right” to try to exterminate the Jews as a lesser race. While much can be said for how they arrived at that conclusion, at this time let us just notice that they felt they were right in what they were doing. At their war crimes trials after World War II many Nazis claimed that they were simply following orders and obeying the laws of their land. However, the prosecutors appealed to a higher law, a higher power, which made what these men did clearly wrong.    Where did that higher law come from? It had to have come from God. Since mankind is not capable of determining what is right and what is wrong on their own (Jeremiah 10:23), then a simple majority vote is not sufficient. In the argument of morals many will say something like, “who are you to decide what is right and what is wrong?” They are correct in that statement. It is not up to you and me to decide what is right and what is wrong. That is up to God, and He has specified right and wrong within His moral law. Paul said that he would not have known sin (what was wrong) without the law of God (Romans 7:7).    Since we as humans lack the authority to mandate moral law, let us then turn to God and to His law to determine what is right and what is wrong. Let us then speak with regards to morals as God’s word directs us to (1 Peter 4:11).

- Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/

Where Your Treasure Is

By Dale Babinsky
    In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers a challenge to the human heart. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19–20). These verses are not merely a warning against materialism—they are a call to consider the affections and desires of the heart.Earthly Wealth Fades Away    Jesus begins with a contrast. Earthly treasures are vulnerable because moths can consume, rust will corrode, and thieves break in and steal. In a world where possessions can vanish overnight, the pursuit of security through material wealth is extremely hazardous. But the deeper issue is not the treasure itself—it’s the heart’s attachment to it. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). The location of our treasure reveals the focus of our hearts.The Eye as the Lamp    Jesus then uses another metaphor to explain, saying, “The eye is the lamp of the body.” A healthy eye—generous, clear in purpose—fills the whole body with light. But an unhealthy eye—stingy, clouded by greed—plunges the soul into darkness. This imagery suggests that our spiritual vision, our way of seeing material things, determines whether we walk in light or darkness. The Greek word for healthy here implies generosity, while the word for unhealthy implies selfishness.We Must Choose    Jesus concludes with a stark reality: “No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). The word translated as mammon is money or wealth, a term that personifies wealth as a rival deity (the almighty dollar, if you will). Divided loyalty is impossible. Our heart/mind will inevitably choose one master over the other.    This passage invites us to examine not just our bank accounts, but also our desires, our focus, and our allegiance. What do we treasure? What fills our vision? Whom do we serve? In a culture that prizes accumulation and wealth as a sign of success, Jesus’ words are countercultural. They call for us to invest in that which is eternal—acts of mercy, love, obedience, and faith. These are the treasures that neither moth nor rust can corrupt.

- Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/

Life is in the Blood

By Dale J. Babinsky     In December 1799 George Washington passed from this life. He had been out taking care of his property in foul weather and had come down with what would appear to be a cold (sore throat, congestion, etc.). In an eƫort to save the former president, his doctors took to opening veins and “bleeding” him, which was believed at the time to be the way to get the illness out of his system. What the doctors of the time failed to realize is that life is in the blood.     Man cannot sustain his physical life without blood. This was well known to the Israelites, or should have been, since God forbade the eating of blood because “life is in the blood. . .” (Leviticus 17:11a NKJV). Human medicine has come to realize the importance of blood in sustaining life in the years following Washington’s death. Now, much can be done with transfusions to help stabilize patients who have suƫered a loss of blood.     In looking at man’s spiritual life, it can be seen that our spiritual life is also in the blood. The Scriptures tell us that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and that the wages, the anticipated payment, of sin is spiritual death (Romans 6:23). We know that this is not in reference to physical death, for we must all be subject to that unless the Lord returns first (Hebrews 9:27). In order to have spiritual life, an eternity in heaven, we must have our sins covered by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5).     We make contact with the blood of Christ when we are buried with Him in the act of baptism (Romans 6:3-4). In obeying the command of Christ to be baptized (Mark 16:16), we can have our sins washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16). It is in our obedience to the words of Scripture, that the blood of Christ is applied to us and we are cleansed from our sins. Thus, we are able to have spiritual life. Thus, both our physical life and our spiritual life are in the blood!

- Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/

Servants

By David Bragg         You may not recognize the name Polly Thomson. Born in 1885 in Scotland, a chance conversation with her hairdresser led to a new job. Following the death of Anne Sullivan Macy in 1936, Miss Thomson became the assistant/companion of Helen Keller. Altogether, Polly Thomson made many significant sacrifices to live the last 46 years of her life as a true servant.      Servants are special because they have the courage to step across that invisible line between selfishness and selflessness. No better example of this will ever be found that that of Jesus Christ. Paul paints the picture for us in Philippians 2:5-11. He left Heaven to walk the earth as a man. Our human mind can’t fully grasp the significance of that sacrifice. But then, He suffered and died for sin; not His, but yours, ours! This also exceeds our ability to comprehend.     Helen Keller was able to do many good things in her final years because of the sacrifices of Polly Thomson. Jesus can do many things through us, if we have the courage to step across that line with Jesus and sacrifice selfishness and selflessly serve

- David Bragg is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/

The Real Judge

By David Bragg         In a classic “unexpected” reaction, a family visiting the Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel were mortified when their 4-year-old son touched a jar to see what was inside. The jar, “a 3,500-year-old ancient artifact,” crashed to the floor in pieces. The parents, expecting the worst, were reassured by museum official, Inbal Rivin’s simple reply, “Things like this happen” (CNN, 8/28/2024). Expecting harsh repercussions, they were instead extended mercy.     Matthew 27 is filled with would-be judges. Some were motivated by envy (the Jewish the chief priests and elders; 18). One by fear (Pontius Pilate; 24). Another by a disturbing dream (19). But only One was in complete control of the events playing out that awful day (11).     Another day will most certainly come when those same Jewish leaders, Pilate, his wife, along with you and I, will stand before the Real Judge. That day He will judge in truth and justice. Oh, how many will be shocked on that occasion when God, through that “just Man” who was so unfairly judged, extends His grace and mercy to His church as we are ushered into eternal life.

- David Bragg is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/