Terry Beasley

Terry Beasley

Terry Beasley is the new executive director of Men’s Ministries International. Beasley, a Free Methodist elder, also serves as the Kingsmen pastor at Chapel of Change Christian Fellowship where he has built one of the strongest local church men’s ministries in the Free Methodist Church USA. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and he has worked in the aerospace industry for 43 years. He is available to travel and speak at churches and to encourage pastors and men from all walks of life. Visit mmifm.org, email MMIfm@fmcusa.org or call 562-544-8236 for more information or to connect with him.  

By Terry Beasley

“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, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2).

Psalm 1 is called the wisdom chapter of Psalms. It teaches us that we have a choice to either follow God’s direction of life or the world’s. Every believer must live with the constant challenge of living in the world but not of the world, which bring us to our thought for today:

Be in the world but not of the world.

In this Psalm, the writer sets two ways or directions in life. One is the right way that leads to being blessed and the other is the wicked or wrong way that will lead to misery. It shows us tips on how we can live in this world without living like the world.

The verse starts off with Blessed is the one. Let’s look at the word blessed. It is a description of a life walking with God. Blessedness is a spiritual state of well-being and prosperity — a deep, joy-filled contentment that cannot be shaken by any world events or happenings.

The word “blessed” appears about 30 times in the book of Psalms. For example, Psalm 106:3 states, “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times” (KJV).

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“We must be careful about what we expose our ears, eyes and minds to.”

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For believers to live this type of life, we must not live our lives like the world or take counsel from wicked ones. The counsel of the wicked is the enemy of God. A believer must be careful who gives him or her counsel. This word counsel speaks of a voice or advice. Many voices in the world attempt to influence us. The voice of the world can come to us in many ways: unbelieving friends/family members, ungodly leaders/politicians, secular news and social media. We must be careful about what we expose our ears, eyes and minds to.

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4 NASB).

The voice of the world has the power to mold and shape us and dominate our behavior.

Whatever shapes our mind will shape our life.

As we go on our daily routines in the world — families, schools, jobs, etc. — let’s be sure we are not adopting the world’s perspective or allowing it to dictate how we live our lives. We must operate under God’s law, abiding in His Word, reading His Word, meditating on His Word, being a doer of His Word, and allowing the Word to shape and form us.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2).

We should live with a heavenly mindset knowing this is not our home. Do not love the things of the world and be conformed to it. These things are temporary. These things lead to death. The blessed ones get their counsel from the Word.

But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night(Psalm 1:2 NASB).

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“The more we read and apply God’s Word in our life, the less desires we have for the worldly things”. 

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The writer is also letting us know that the blessed one takes delight in the law of the Lord, which is the Word of God. This person loves the Word of God so much that he or she meditates on it day and night. Our desire is for God’s Word to influence our life. The more we read and apply God’s Word in our life, the less desires we have for the worldly things.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the ideal is to live our lives in the world by a higher standard — a blessed one seeking after God’s counsel and studying His word so that we can be a light in the world and not be of the world.

“For I delight in your commands because I love them” (Psalm 119:47).+

Terry Beasley

Terry Beasley

Terry Beasley is the new executive director of Men’s Ministries International. Beasley, a Free Methodist elder, also serves as the Kingsmen pastor at Chapel of Change Christian Fellowship where he has built one of the strongest local church men’s ministries in the Free Methodist Church USA. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and he has worked in the aerospace industry for 43 years. He is available to travel and speak at churches and to encourage pastors and men from all walks of life. Visit mmifm.org, email MMIfm@fmcusa.org or call 562-544-8236 for more information or to connect with him.