Psalm 1
‘God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn:
when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes,
When you avoid sin’s highway,
when judgement and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse.
For you, the Eternal’s Word is your happiness.
It is your focus – from dusk to dawn.
You are like a tree,
planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry.
Your fruit ripens in its time;
your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun.
No matter what you do, you prosper.
(Psalm 1:1-3 VOICE)
Have we ever thought how blessed we are? Have we ever reflected on how much we are loved by God and how different our lives could be if we really put him first in our lives? This psalm outlines how amazing our lives could be if we put aside our human desires to do wrong, to gossip, to be unkind. Instead our lives, rooted in God, would be blessed and fruitful – prosperous not in terms of our own desires but for all that is good in God’s eyes.
This psalm uses the imagery of a tree
‘planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry.’
Such a tree will have deep roots because of the waters feeding it, and so it will be faithful. It will never wither away, but will flourish providing protection from the hot sun or the heavy rains.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia, a city in modern-day Turkey, he urged the believers there to be infilled by the Holy Spirit and thereby to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit:
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’
(Galatians 5: 22,23)
Paul again uses this imagery from nature to encourage the early-day followers of Jesus to grow in Christ, constantly urging them to be rooted in him. Maybe during this springtime, a time of new growth, new birth and new beginnings, we can consider what our lives are rooted in and what fruit we are bearing. And maybe, if we have become distracted by other things of this world, we can focus on Jesus again and ask him to help us look only to him for our nourishment so we can grow in him.
PRAYER
‘So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.’
(Colossians 2:6-7)
