Be careful little eyes...

My sweet friend Jenny gave me a book for Christmas that has a verse from the Bible and a short, related thought to begin each day. The verse this morning was from Psalm 1, and the author used the Amplified Bible, which gives the multiple translations/interpretations for the words in the original languages.

Psalm 1
BOOK ONE

1 BLESSED [HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable] is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

2But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law [the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God] he habitually meditates [ponders and studies] by day and by night.

3And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

4Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.

5Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].

6For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God's will] shall perish [end in ruin and come to nought].

She used just verse one, but it really struck me. Mostly because I spend not an insignificant amount of my work day perusing daily celeb gossip sites. Shocking, I know. But, sadly, true. And I pretty regularly glance through MSN articles on relationships, health and wellness, finances, etc. While there is nothing inherently wrong in doing any of that, it made me stop and think about what kind of influence that can (and does) have over me...

For some reason, the part about not walking and living in the counsel of the ungodly, "following their advice, their plans and purposes," really stood out to me. Because even though I would NEVER (God forbid) start to follow the "example" of "role models" such as Brit-Brit or Paris H. or Angelina Jolie, I sure do spend a lot of my time following what goes on in their lives---their indecent exposures, their romantic trysts, their fashion choices (poor or fortunate), their career hits and misses...(ie. their "plans and purposes"). And what benefit does that bring me? Absolutely none.

Don't even get me started about the part on sitting and resting "where the scornful [and the mockers] gather"... After all, I am something of a TV junkie, too...