Psalm 1 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 1 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
Verse 2but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.
Verse 3They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
Verse 4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Verse 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
Verse 6for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Devotion
Pay attention to trees today.
I especially remember four trees in my “boyhood” backyard; an oak, maple, willow and pine. I played in and around those trees as a boy and watched them grow as I grew.
The psalmist pictured the godly person as “a tree planted by streams of water.” No one who takes in what God makes available will shrivel or be undernourished.
Like trees, we’re made to give something back to the environment that nourishes our life. A mature shade tree can cool, humidify, restore and clean the air around us, as well as give beauty, food, shade, shelter, medicine and itself as timber and fuel. The tree does not receive without giving back. With God’s help, we can be like that.
Prayer
God, we want to grow as we should. We want to give back to life and not just take from it. Help us to experience all this by your grace and to your glory through Christ our Lord. Amen.