This column is one we never imagined would be Greg Giles’ last. Week after week, Greg graciously shared his words, his faith and his heart with the readers of The Cordell Beacon. His columns became a familiar part of our newspaper, messages of faith that we were always grateful to receive and honored to share with our readers. This week, we publish the final column Greg sent to us before he and his beloved wife, Jean, tragically lost their lives in an automobile accident. There is an added weight to his words now, knowing they are the last he would send our way, and an even greater appreciation for every message he shared with us before it.
Greg and his wife made their home at Baptist Village in Cordell. While our hearts go out to the family and friends who must now say goodbye to them both, there is something especially touching in knowing that after sharing a life, they also made their final journey together. For a man who spent so much time writing about faith, we can only imagine the joy of now seeing face-to-face the Heaven he so faithfully wrote about.
Greg, thank you for every article, every encouraging word, and every piece of your faith you entrusted to the pages of The Cordell Beacon. Thank you for allowing us to share your voice with our readers week after week. Your column will be deeply missed by many. Thank you, Greg. It was truly our privilege.
We all love the Psalms, a collection of 150 poems, songs, and prayers that give expression to every human emotion: joy, sorrow, hope, fear, trust, uncertainty, love, and even hate. The book of Psalms begins with the word, “Happy” as in “Happy are those who…” and it ends with the word “Hallelujah,” meaning “Praise the Lord!” A lot is said in between those opening and closing words: words of trust, words of strength, words of hope, as well as cries of sorrow, and prayers for help. But the opening word of Psalm 1 is linked to the closing word in Psalm 150 by a consistent thought: the happiest people are those whose God is Yahweh.
Psalm 1—Good News Bible 1 Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.
2 Instead, they find joy in obey ing the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night.
3 They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up.
They succeed in everything they do.
4 But evil people are not like this at all; they are like straw that the wind blows away.
5 Sinners will be condemned by God and kept apart from God’s own people.
6 The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord, but the evil are on the way to their doom.
The book of Psalms doesn’t begin with praise, or a prayer, it starts with a choice! Psalm 1 describes two paths we must all choose between. And choosing the best path is the most important choice any person can make. One is the path of happiness and the other is the path of downfall. Many people approach life as if it was a “choose your own adventure” book with a new choice every page leading to multiple endings. While there are many choices in life, and we should use wisdom in making each one, ultimately there is only one choice that matters most. That is what we read about in Psalm 1! There are two paths and the outcomes are very different! The psalm alternates between describing two types of people: those who delight in the word of God and those who hang out with sinners.
This idea of choosing your life path was used by Solomon in the book of Proverbs and by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Each of these men assumed that there is in fact one right path, the same for everyone, designed by God and leading to a happy life with God’s blessings. At the core of this worldview is the existence of good and evil as real categories by which actions and people can be judged. Without understanding morality as a category of truth, one cannot understand Psalm 1 or, for that matter, any of the Bible.
Psalm 1 begins with the word “Happy.” In many English Bibles this Hebrew word is translated as “blessed.” The one word can mean both happy and blessed, and from this we learn that happiness is a blessing bestowed by God. But in Psalm 1 we learn that happiness is a choice.
Here is the recipe for happiness. Choose now: Are your actions shaped by associating with ungodly friends or by studying God’s word? The psalm uses three words for associating with ungodly friends: to walk with, to stand with, and to sit with. These three verbs suggest a progression: a casual encounter along the road, stopping to chat, and joining their group.
The alternative to hanging out with sinners is spending time with the Lord, by studying his word. The result of spending time with God is being like a green tree beside a stream that will bear fruit in season (verse 4). Those of us who live in western Oklahoma know what the Psalmist wrote about. We know that streams are surrounded by green trees. Greenness is a picture of the blessing of living according to God’s word! But where there is no stream there is dry, barren ground. We all need time with God to flourish.
Happiness is a choice! This is because happiness is a description of enjoying God’s blessings. The remainder of the Psalms, 2-150, and all the joy and hope they offer, hinge on how we make the choice in Psalm 1. And it concludes with this summary of how God blesses those who choose him: “The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord, but the evil are on the way to their doom.” (1:6) There are two paths, one leading to happiness, the other leading to doom. How we choose is the most important choice in our life.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell.