“[The godly are] like tree[s] planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in the season and whose lea[ves] do not wither- whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:3
Psalm 1 describes a person that has been declared righteous and then compares that righteous person to a tree planted along a riverbank. They do not prosper as a wild tree, but, instead they prosper because they are planted firmly on a strong foundation. Why is this important? Because the righteous are rooted deeply and purposefully into the Word of the Lord. They seek the Word; they know the Word; they desire the Word; they live the Word. Colossians 2:7 says: “Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught.” How do you build your life on Christ? It is not an overnight process. The key is persistence. Persistent seeking produces knowledge. This knowledge is rooted in the growth of desire for God’s word, in strengthened faith, and in the hope that fruit will then be harvested. Be persistent and, through this persistence, a yearning for God will naturally follow.
Martin Luther said that “the law is holy, and just, and good. Hence it is not only a love of the law, but that loving delight in the law which no prosperity, nor adversity, nor the world, nor the prince of it, can either take away or destroy; for it victoriously bursts its way through poverty, evil report, the cross, death, and hell, and in the midst of adversities, it shines the brightest.”
As a Christian, it is important to love and desire the Word, but it is also integral to understand its necessity in your life. A tree cannot survive on its own; its roots need water. Without water a tree will suffer, wither and die. In the same way, our spiritual LIFE is dead without the water that is provided by and through knowing Jesus. How do you get to know Jesus? He reveals Himself through scripture. The living water that Jesus gives promises that we will never again become thirsty for “rivers of living water flow from His heart.” (John 7:38). Planting ourselves on the riverbank and allowing our roots to dig deeply into Christ and the Word allows for the absorption of the true life-giving water of the Spirit. It is here that full life is found! This fullness appoints our lives to bear witness to the inner workings of God through the production of fruit (Romans 12:2). Let the Holy Spirit guide your life. He will sustain you, fill you, and produce in you a true and holy life.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22
Written by: Justine Boles
Refined Joy 