Old Testament Scripture Reading: Psalms 1:1 – 6 (KJV)
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psa 1:4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Psa 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
New Testament Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11:1 – 6 (KJV)
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Transforming Power Statements:
1) God’s Word (The Bible) speaks from eternity and it’s utterances remain valid throughout all time, and continue into eternity, and therefore, His Word provides the most powerful source of reliability and the only anchor that shall hold throughout all the storms of this life, along with promises to every believer that shall come to pass during time and even into eternity.
2) The introductory Psalm sets the pace for all others and purports the theme that meditating in God’s word produced a confident, settled peace, which shall endure all of time, as it also makes the comparison of the ungodly which are those who reject God’s perfect Word in every area of life, which will end in complete spiritual destruction.
3) If we knew the outcome of a situation in advance, we would not be worried as the situation was working out in real-time, since the conclusion of the thing has already been known, the effect of the mystery would move from “fear” to “faith”; and our interior motives would become based on “hope” rather than “doubt” or “anxiety”: This is the essence of the statement: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen