Saturday, February 16, 2013

Psalms 1 (Part 2)






We started this study on wed and I would like to continue the thought of "Choice". We are given the choice of final results of this vapor called life. The "How to" of both destinations.

A) Be like a tree, planted, firm, steady, well nourished, and a shelter.
B) Be like the chaff, dry, unstable, brittle, and ultimately leave no lasting mark.

Psalms chapter 1 will be our testimony one way or the other.

Reaping the blessing of the tree, or the curse of the chaff is a Kingdom law. It does not matter if you believe it or not, it is true.


"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." ~Psalms 1:1-6 

We looked at verse one on wed and spent the time to lay the groundwork for the rest of the Psalm. Today I would like to spotlight the benefit of the blessing. 

Verse 2 states that that the one that chooses to reap the blessing of the tree will make their delight (Desire, pleasure) the law of the Lord.(Precepts and statutes)

Do you delight in the things God delights in? Do you desire Him? This is not conforming to a list just for the sake of checking boxes, this is desiring to know Him.

Paul said that he had built up quite a resume of good deeds and actions, but he counted them as dung. Why?

"That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." ~Philippians 3:10

Outward achievements are nothing if you do not know Him. You cannot superglue the fruit of the Spirit on your tree. Either you have it or you do not.

The psalmist says, that his desire was God. Not Godly activities or speeches, but God.

"...In His law doth he meditate day and night."

God does not promise to prosper Bible memorizers, He does however, promise to prosper Bible meditators.

Mediating on what you have memorized is the key. I am all for Bible memorization, but it is powerful only if you take the time to think about what you memorized. There have been a lot of responses that I have given to the walls in my life that were wrong, not because I did not know scripture, but because I did not take the time to think about and properly apply the scripture that I knew.

When I was dating my wife, she would write me letters. (Texting was only for the rich and famous) I did not just memorize the cards she sent me, I meditated on them. I thought about them, how she phrased things, how she darkened some words more than others, and I even dissected and defined sentence structure.

Prospering comes from choosing those I allow to write on my heart carefully, and what I choose to mediate on.

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."


Notice the wording. "Be" comes before "Do". Why is that? Being like a tree is something that comes from being planted. You cannot "Do" your way in the Christian life as a substitute of "Being". I think one of the problems that plagues the church today is the overabundance of people willing to "Do" in place of being willing to "Be".

It takes work to "Be", and it is far easier to show up and "Do". When you are planted, you will produce fruit, and you will "Do". Not in your own strength, but through Christ which strengthens you!

Then in verse three we get the result that we all want.

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
 

I love the word PLANTED.

Firmly fixed. Planted by a source of nourishment. Planted and bringing forth fruit in his season.

I love the terminology of the leaf not withering.

The tree depends on it's leaves. They take the light from the sun, and transform it to life for the tree.

PHOTOSENTHESIS: is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert the light energy captured from the sun into chemical energy that can be used to fuel the organism's activities.

For the Christian, his leaf is straining to soak up the SON. The leaf does not wither. This person knows that the planted state comes not from the river, not from thinking "Tree like" thoughts, or saying "Tree like" words. It comes directly from the SON!

Whatever he does will prosper.

Can I just be frank here? What area of your life do you NOT want to prosper?

Reading on down the remaining three verses outlines very plainly the flip side of the coin. God loves us enough to give us the freedom of choice.

I want to be planted for my family, because I want that area of my life to prosper.
I want to be planted in my walk with the Lord, because I want that area to prosper.

A)Planted comes from being careful where I get my direction counsel.
Do those I get counsel from fall into the scriptural definition of the ungodly?
B)Planted comes from Where I am positionally.
Do I make it hard for others to see Christ, or do they get a clear picture of Him
C)Planted comes from how I view God
Do I make light of God, His revealed Word, and my relationship with Him?
D)Planted comes from operating in my new nature: Delighting and meditating in and on the Word of God.
Where do I choose to set my thoughts and affections?

When I was a kid, we had these books called, "Choose your own adventures". The story line and outcome would depend on the choices you made. Life is no different. Psalms one presents the final outcome, and it even outlines how to make the choices!

Climbing with you,
~Dan





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