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; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 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. Psalms 1:1-3 (NKJV)
I love landscaping. I always have and I probably always will. In truth, I wish I had acres upon acres to plant and cultivate. I have always liked to take variations of plants, flowers and trees and arrange them in a garden-like setting. I find it to be relaxing and therapeutic, and very rewarding as the landscaping matures.
Now I can honestly say, over the years, I have made my share of mistakes when attempting to grow stuff. Sometimes it has been my insistence on attempting to grow a certain plant not meant for my specific climate zone - the extreme cold was usually the culprit. While other times, it was a certain disease hindering my success. But one thing guaranteeing certain failure was when the life-sustaining water was cut off from whatever was planted. It didn't matter whether it was the grass, the flowers, or a tree - no water equaled the loss of life.
This principle applies to our spiritual life as well. In Psalm 1, we are given an analogy of a person who delights in God's Word (Water), and who meditates upon it all the time. He is viewed as a tree planted by the rivers of life - prospering in whatever he does. Directly following this, we are then given the contrasting view of another person who chooses not to be planted next to the water of God's Word. This person is likened to chaff being driven away by the wind. We can clearly see the results of this choice end in loss as well.
The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalms 1:4-6 (NKJV)
So we can clearly see God's ways will lead to prosperity and success, as we will be refreshed and bringing forth fruit from our Christian walk. But by following man's ways, we are assured it will lead to death. God spoke these same truths to the Israelites through the profit Jeremiah. He gave them stern warning not to trust in their own abilities apart from Him, and against trusting in their own physical strength.
Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. Jeremiah 17:5-6 (NKJV)
Again, God gives us an analogy - this time there is a shrub and a tree. The shrub is the person who undertakes life on his own, apart from God. He is the one who lacks water and will end up stunted in his growth and will continue to live in salt land, which is not inhabited. But the analogy given to Jeremiah finishes with a promise of blessing for those whose hope is in the LORD.
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV)
So, just like in the case of the flowers, plants, trees and grass, either we find so we can grow and flourish, or we try to make a go of it without any water - choose to walk independently from God.
Hey Christian, I don't know about you, but I don't want to walk through life relying solely on my own abilities and seeking to live a selfish and self-serving lifestyle. I don't want to be filled with anxiety about the times of drought, which many people are feeling now with money drying up. I want to place my confidence in the One who directs the weather patterns. I want to know with total assurance I am abiding in God's plan for my life. I guess you could say, I want to be firmly planted in Him.
STUDY QUESTION: According to Jeremiah 17:7-8, what blessings are awaiting those who put their full trust into the Lord?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you fully trusting God, or are you being tempted to doubt by the things you are seeing, or hearing?
APPLICATION: Seek the Lord and read your bibles daily. Trust God and His promises of provision and blessing. He loves you more than you can ever know. When you really begin to trust Him, you will stop becoming anxious and fearful.
I love landscaping. I always have and I probably always will. In truth, I wish I had acres upon acres to plant and cultivate. I have always liked to take variations of plants, flowers and trees and arrange them in a garden-like setting. I find it to be relaxing and therapeutic, and very rewarding as the landscaping matures.
Now I can honestly say, over the years, I have made my share of mistakes when attempting to grow stuff. Sometimes it has been my insistence on attempting to grow a certain plant not meant for my specific climate zone - the extreme cold was usually the culprit. While other times, it was a certain disease hindering my success. But one thing guaranteeing certain failure was when the life-sustaining water was cut off from whatever was planted. It didn't matter whether it was the grass, the flowers, or a tree - no water equaled the loss of life.
This principle applies to our spiritual life as well. In Psalm 1, we are given an analogy of a person who delights in God's Word (Water), and who meditates upon it all the time. He is viewed as a tree planted by the rivers of life - prospering in whatever he does. Directly following this, we are then given the contrasting view of another person who chooses not to be planted next to the water of God's Word. This person is likened to chaff being driven away by the wind. We can clearly see the results of this choice end in loss as well.
The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalms 1:4-6 (NKJV)
So we can clearly see God's ways will lead to prosperity and success, as we will be refreshed and bringing forth fruit from our Christian walk. But by following man's ways, we are assured it will lead to death. God spoke these same truths to the Israelites through the profit Jeremiah. He gave them stern warning not to trust in their own abilities apart from Him, and against trusting in their own physical strength.
Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. Jeremiah 17:5-6 (NKJV)
Again, God gives us an analogy - this time there is a shrub and a tree. The shrub is the person who undertakes life on his own, apart from God. He is the one who lacks water and will end up stunted in his growth and will continue to live in salt land, which is not inhabited. But the analogy given to Jeremiah finishes with a promise of blessing for those whose hope is in the LORD.
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV)
So, just like in the case of the flowers, plants, trees and grass, either we find so we can grow and flourish, or we try to make a go of it without any water - choose to walk independently from God.
Hey Christian, I don't know about you, but I don't want to walk through life relying solely on my own abilities and seeking to live a selfish and self-serving lifestyle. I don't want to be filled with anxiety about the times of drought, which many people are feeling now with money drying up. I want to place my confidence in the One who directs the weather patterns. I want to know with total assurance I am abiding in God's plan for my life. I guess you could say, I want to be firmly planted in Him.
STUDY QUESTION: According to Jeremiah 17:7-8, what blessings are awaiting those who put their full trust into the Lord?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you fully trusting God, or are you being tempted to doubt by the things you are seeing, or hearing?
APPLICATION: Seek the Lord and read your bibles daily. Trust God and His promises of provision and blessing. He loves you more than you can ever know. When you really begin to trust Him, you will stop becoming anxious and fearful.
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