THE DUTY OF DELIGHT
Opening Prayer
Before you come to God’s Word, spend time in prayer for those close to you who do not yet know Jesus as their Savior.
Read Psalm 1
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Do you find it easy or difficult to meditate on God’s Word?Here is a call to a wonderfully different life, a life that delights in God’s ways and experiences his blessing. It is tempting to walk in the world’s ways so we can have what they have; we are often attracted by sin in the moment; we find ourselves taking pleasure in looking down on others. But these are not where blessing is to be found (1).
Those who experience true blessing in their lives know what it is to be sustained and refreshed by God (3). But there will always be a battle for our minds (Rom. 12:2). The route to knowing God’s blessing is to commit ourselves to molding our sin-clouded heart and mind around the truth of God’s Word (2). Is reading your Bible a chore you just get through? It is not meant to be duty or drudgery, but delight.
Reflect on verse 3: do you want “streams of living water welling up from within” you (John 4:14; 7:38)? Do you want to be “strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Pet. 5:10) like a tree by fresh water? Do you want to produce much fruit for the Father’s glory (John 15:8)? Do you want to know God’s blessing even through experiences that cause others to wither (James 1:2–4)? Then meditate on God’s Word as much as you can!
Apply
Memorize verses 1–3 now and meditate on them in the coming days.
Closing prayer
Giver of Life, may Your streams of living water well up within me and flow out to others all around.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.