“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. On His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalms 1:1-3

These verses speak volumes in today’s time. We live in a world where any opinion and every opinion are taken as truth. Generations are growing up in a world of complete grey – with no absolutes. What a confusing time in which we live.

David (the author of the book of Psalms) shares a warning to us in living in the grey.

Today, there are so many places for us to seek counsel, stand in the way of sinners and sit in the seat of mockers. This world has become a place that loves and accepts and even encourages blurred lines and partial truths. Many sinful ways of living have become accepted as a proper way of life. Drugs are made legal, Playboy is a high quality brand, homosexuality is embraced, divorce is a social norm and so on.

Please know – I am not listing these pieces in judgment but rather in highlighting some of the sinful behaviors, we (even as believers and followers of Christ) have come to accept as normal, natural and right.

It is SO easy to fall into the “grey” way of living and to live among the wicked to a point where truth no longer shows, even among those who proclaim Christ as truth.

David says, in paraphrase, “The righteous man delights in the law of the Lord and on this law he meditates day and night.” I love this verse because what he is saying here is that we know and understand God’s truth and we embrace and believe it for our own good. And when we meditate on God’s word and make it a part of our daily life and memorize it and hold it close to our heart – we are protected from falling into a “grey” lifestyle. The truth of the Lord is clearly seen and understood and we abide by it because we know it is what is GOOD for us.

Just like a parent setting guidelines and rules for their children – God has set guidelines and rules for us – out of love, not control, out of protection, not punishment.

David goes on, “he is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”  YES. When you come to the word of God and mediate on it day and night, you become rooted in the stream of LIFE. You have a power source, a food source, flowing into you daily, keeping you strong, healthy and fed.

When you stay rooted to God, you will naturally yield fruit. What does that mean you ask??? It means others will see the joy within you, they will want to understand why you are so strong and fearless of life and the stream of life flowing in you will naturally want to flow out onto others and you will become a disciple of Christ – sharing your testimony and good news with those who don’t know.

FRUIT. Others will see the truth in you and will become seedlings blossoming into their own tree, rooted by the stream through your discipleship.

The last statement David makes in this verse really spoke volumes to me. “Whatever he does prospers.” For the past 2 years I really struggled with “What is God’s calling for me?” I felt frustrated because I felt what I was currently doing wasn’t right and that I was missing out on what God had for me. Now, as I have rooted myself in His word and meditated on it day and night (as the Psalms says) it has all been made very clear!

If you are living a life rooted in God then whatever you do prospers, because God is at the center of it. God doesn’t have his will “hidden” from us. He’s not sitting in heaven saying to me “Okay Tammy, good luck finding my will for your life. You’re getting warmer. No now you’re colder….” But rather God calls us to a full life with Him – it is the same calling for me, for you and for your neighbor. Our calling is to live a life right with Christ and to share His love and life with others.

When we die to ourselves and allow Christ to live in us – we are living His calling and anything we do will prosper. Please don’t mistake, “prosper” for becoming rich and everything you do will succeed and turn to gold. J God’s definition of prosper and our worldly definition is a bit different.

Even though we are rooted in Christ, we will still encounter hard times – but now we have a solid life source to keep us strong. I want to encourage you to continue reading beyond Psalms 1:3. David compares the man rooted in God verses the man not rooted.

My prayer for you today is that you will dedicate time daily to meditating on the word of God. Plant your heart and life near God’s life stream (his word – the Bible), allowing Him to flow in you daily, keeping your soul strong and fed. Go out and show others what God has done for you and “yield fruit” showing others the love of Christ through your own salvation.