BE LIKE A TREE
Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
The scriptures contain many promises from God. In this psalm, we see numerous promises of blessing, stability, fruitfulness, and success. These are what so many are searching for, and the Bible promises them to us. But these promises are conditional. In other words, these promises are for those who meet the conditions.
Meeting conditions is not a bad thing. Nor is meeting the conditions unfair, provided we have the ability to meet the requirements. My father put me on the Clayton scholarship plan when I went to college. He would pay my tuition and most of my rent and food costs if. And the if was that I had to make a minimum of a 2.5 grade point average for the semester. So that was a conditional promise that worked great for me until the one semester I made a 1.9 GPA, but that’s a story for another day.
The conditions in Psalm one are clearly stated. These conditions are not too far out of our reach, but we’ll have to be intentional.
Don’t follow the advice of the ungodly. Many translations list this word as wicked. When we think of wicked, unless you are from the Boston area, we think of someone horribly bad. But the Hebrew word implies someone who is guilty or in the wrong. Counsel or advice that does not take God into account is wrong. I have had people give me a monetary gift and tell me that I don’t have to tithe from that gift. The person who gave me the gift was a nice person, but the counsel was ungodly. We must pay attention to the advice we follow.
Don’t stand in the path of sinners. This does not mean we can’t be around those who are away from God. We can’t isolate ourselves from the lost world. We are destined to be the salt and light of the world. But we are not on the same path. Many times, I have had people who were away from God encourage me to go their way and do what they do in the name of fun and friendship. But their path was contrary to that of someone who was a follower of Jesus. So, it was a no-go.
Don’t sit with the scorners. The scorners are the ones who mock, deride, and express contempt. And this is not always contempt for God but things that are godly and right. Someone may mock and express contempt for authority at work. Yet the scriptures tell us to work as unto the Lord. And to obey those who are in authority. God established authority, and those who mock or show contempt are not the ones we want to sit with. Pray for. Share with. Be good to. Yes. But we don’t go their way.
We are to take great pleasure in God’s words and ways. We think about what God has said and incorporate that into our lives. Then, following God and His word, we become like a tree. Trees are stable and trees planted by rivers are well nourished and flourishing. Then, we are fruitful and strong and not dried up and spiritually withered. Then, whatever we do, we prosper and do well.
That’s such a great visual, being like a tree. Not like a bush. Not like a tumbleweed. A solid, rooted, strong, and flourishing tree.
PRAYER
Thank You for Your promises, Lord. When I follow You and obey Your word, I am like a tree, a blessed tree.