The Two Ways
Psalms 1:6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
There are two ways of life: the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly.
““There are two ways – one of life and one of death. And there is a great difference between the two ways.” ”
The way of life and the way of death are not ways of acting, thinking about oneself or rules to live by. Though they will have implications for how I act, think, and the manner in which I live. The way of life and the way death have far deeper implications to us. They are not rules, but ways of being.
How do I inhabit the life I have been given? These ways are paths I compose my life around, they give me function, mission, and structure, they are modes of being, not systems of thought. Jesus did not give us a system of thought but a path of life by which we walk. With the invitation of Jesus to join him on the journey to Golgotha, I discover who he is and what he is about. I find myself in light of finding him. I lose my life because I have found him and his life. When I catch that glimpse of him, everything changes.
Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
The Psalmist describes the way of the righteous as finding great delight in the law of the Lord and meditating upon it day and night. This is in stark juxtaposition for the reason many follow the law: fear of punishment. David has grasped something beyond the simple fear of punishment, he has seen past the system of rules and regulations. He has seen the transcendent God who has spoken the law. His delight is in the Lord, he does not owe his love to fear.
He meditates because it is his delight, not because it is his duty or religious obligation. He sees something of great value (like the pearl of great price) and longs for it. Everything revolves around his pursuit.
The one who meditates gathers his thoughts back to himself. Our thoughts are easily dispersed in all manner of directions: What do others think about me? What kind of work do I have to do? What will I wear today? We spend our time meditating on frivolities. Jesus encouraged his disciples to gather their thoughts in a similar way:
Matthew 6:25-26 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
“Do not worry” – do not let your thoughts run amok within you. Rather, gather your thoughts and “look at the birds”. Bring your thoughts back to yourself and look at what God has made in consideration of who he is.
Matthew 6:28-29 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Again, do not worry, yet consider. Gather your thoughts back to yourself and consider the way that God is and what He has made. Direct the energy of your heart towards the Father. Consider Him and who He is, let that permeate your understanding.
When I catch a glimpse of Christ and delight in him, I gather my thoughts and spend the energy of my heart considering him. These two ways are not codes of conduct, but ways of being. What I delight in I offer myself to. The curious affect of this delight the Psalmist describes is manifold:
The man will be blessed
He will be like a tree (steady and firm)
He will bring forth fruit in season
His life will not wither away
Whatever he does shall prosper
In light of the day/night rhythm of setting his affection and delight towards the Father and considering His nature, great change overtakes the life of such a person. When we offer ourselves in great affection to the Father life begins to take shape within us. Not the life of rules and regulations, but of discovering who we are and what the Father is like.