Rewarding the faithful

Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.

Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night.

They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers.

But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind.

Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.

The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

~Psalm 1

The verse here easily explains the situation in great metaphorical way. Psalms starts out with this simple verse to explain the proper path for each of us to travel. It is not something as simple as just saying that you should do well. This is not what the verse is telling us. It is directly telling us to live Godly lives. We all should be good people. This is remotely what the passage is describing for us. Live good lives in order to prosper in life. This is the underlying message as it can be interpreted. It is more simply telling us to trust in the Lord and live Godly lives. There is no pleasure attained from wicked endeavors, but instead from the pleasures of serving our Lord to the fullest. The easiest thing in life is to not live a Christian life, but instead to indulge in other worldly pleasures. Seek those which will temporarily make us happy, when in reality the relationship with the Lord should be enough to allow us to live as content as we can. God rewards his followers. So yes, you hardly have to go to church every Sunday, but church every Sunday is showing the respect that you may have for God. One simple act of worship that can easily be attained despite the circumstances. God rewards his followers as his followers will flourish like the tree planted near the spring whose fruit will be plentiful. A follower of the Lord will have plentiful fruit meaning that there will be many blessings bestowed to him or her from the Lord.

Neither shall you allege the example of the many as an excuse for doing wrong, nor shall you, when testifying in a lawsuit, side with the many in perverting justice.

~Exodus 23:2

You should not follow a crowd to engage in inappropriate activity. The easiest thing for a fish to do is swim downstream where the current flows with them. Following the other fish to the great unknown, but the most difficult and sometimes rewarding choice is to swim alone and away from all of the other streams. Follow God which is sometimes the more difficult path, and you can become happier as God rewards those who are faithful to him. Chose your friends wisely and follow in the ways of God always.

Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them,

for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret;

but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,

for everything that becomes visible is light

~Ephesians 5:10-14