Some people help us to be more obedient, more loving children of God.

If you are like me, you have already begun to see their faces in your mind’s eye. You probably know their names, and you likely wish they were with you right now so you could thank them for the influence they have had in your life.

This psalm teaches us that we are blessed when we don't surround ourselves to be influenced by the wicked, the scoffers, and the sinners. What is interesting about that particular verse is that it is the first verse of the first psalm.

The psalms were prayers and songs of wisdom and praise. The people of that day didn’t own Bibles to read; they sang and prayed the wisdom and words of God. The psalms were originally part of God’s word to his chosen people of Israel. They remain truth for his chosen people, his children, today.

Psalm 1:1 reminds us that, as God’s children, we can’t choose his influence when we are influenced by the ungodly too. Some people help us to live a godly life while others cause us to be less than God wants us to be. All of us influence others as well, some one way and some the other.

Remember the list of people who came to your mind when we began, the list of people whose influence has helped us to love well and live obediently to God’s word. Consider now who would add your name to their list—and who might not.

Living with wisdom is a path to God’s blessings. The first verse of the first psalm teaches us to choose wise, godly people to influence our lives and not “sit” under the council of the ungodly. Whose influence has blessed your life? Whose life will your influence bless tomorrow and in the days to come?