{Monday Meditations} Psalm 1 Part 2

Good morning! I hope you guys had a fantastic weekend. Mine was relaxing ... I'm getting sick so I just relaxed, caught up on homework, watched Youtube :P I did go out to eat with some friends to a Hibachi Grille for the first time! That was exciting, trying new foods and the like. It wasn't too bad either :D

Today I wanted to continue the thoughts I expressed last week. I want to move to verse 3 of Psalm chapter 1.

3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

The Psalmist uses a tree to explain how our lives as Christians ought to be. Why is the tree planted by rivers of water? Because trees need water to survive! (Duh) The water supplies nutrients and strength so the tree and grow big and strong and produce fruit! The further away water is from the tree, the less healthy the tree is likely to be.

How does this apply to us?

We are to be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Obviously, we aren't literally to be by the rivers of water, but what can we relate the rivers of water to? What do we need to survive, to grow, to produce spiritual fruit in our lives? The Bible! The Living Water! John 4:10 says "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."

So here's what I conclude:

Tree............planted by water....water supplies strength................produces fruit

Christian....in God's Word........God's Word supplies strength.....produces spiritual fruit

Have you ever heard of the hymn "Springs of Living Water"? I think it's an old one that isn't very popular nowadays. But I feel like the author wrote this from Psalm 1.

CHORUS

"Drinking at the springs of living water,

Happy now am I,

My soul they satisfy;

Drinking at the springs of living water,

O wonderful and bountiful supply!"

Do you see the link between this chorus and Psalm 1? The Blessed Man in Psalm 1 delights, or is satisfied, in the Word of God. He doesn't delight or seek satisfaction anywhere else. The chorus rejoices that he has found the living water! And he is HAPPY (Blessed means happy, remember?) and satisfied.

Another comparison from the tree to us, is how the water is supplied. A tree gets the water through its roots, it's most inward part. We receive the Living Water, through our hearts, our most inward part. Nothing can reach the tree quite so effectively without coming through the roots. We are most effected by what we hold in our hearts.

If a tree has roots by contaminated water, it will not grow. If our hearts are in a contaminated source (wrong reading, inappropriate TV shows/movies, ungodly thoughts, etc.) we will not grow.

Did you ever sing that kid's song "Read Your Bible Pray Every Day?"

Read your Bible pray every day

Pray every day

Pray every day

Read your Bible pray every day

And you'll grow grow grow!

Don't read your Bible, forget to pray

Forget to pray

Forget to pray

Don't read your Bible, forget to pray

And you'll shrink, shrink ,shrink!

It fits. What we choose to delight in (Psalm 1:2), will effect how we grow spiritually (Psalm 1:3). And I need this reminder constantly. I love to watch TV shows and movies, I love music, especially musicals, and I love following celebrities and things like that. But if that's where I'm keeping my heart, I'm gonna shrink, shrink, shrink, spiritually and I won't produce any fruit for God's glory. And as my pastor reminded us in church today, our purpose on earth is to glorify God by producing godly fruits in our lives.

I hope this week, you'll remember to delight in the things of the Lord to that you will be a strong tree producing beautiful fruit for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.