IBS Psalm 1:3 (5-16-14)

Inductive Bible Study for Psalm 1:3 (5-16-13)

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

This verse is talking about the man in the previous and following verses. This man who delights himself in the Lord instead of in the counsel of the ungodly will be blessed. He meditates day and night on God's Law instead of surrounding himself with bad influences. He isn't promised success in the world's eyes - which is popularity, riches and happiness. But he is promised success in the view of eternity - which is joy, hope and peace, and that God will never leave him nor forsake him. 

A tree planted by a river. This means the tree has a constant flow of nutrients and water to sustain it and keep it strong. Rivers nearly always have an abundance of plant life in and around the bank, so the tree will be able to grow its roots deep into the ground. A man grounded in God's Word will not be swayed easily. He, like the tree, has his roots deep in what is most important. He is not on the rocks, searching for a place to take root. He is not out in the desert, yearning for hydration and food. He is connected to the Source of Eternal Life - Jesus Christ. 

Brings forth fruit in its season. There are a lot of verses in the Bible that talk about trees bearing fruit. If a tree is good, it bears good fruit - but if a tree is bad, it bears bad fruit or no fruit at all. These relate the type of fruit with the works we do. James 2:26 says "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." If you say you have believed on Christ, are cleansed of your sins and have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you - then your life should show this. Not only should your life be a testimony of Who you're living for, but you should WANT to share with everyone why you have joy, peace and love. 

I used to think that I had to do good things in order to be saved - if I could just do enough good things, God would let me into heaven. This is a lie. The Bible says that EVERYONE is a sinner and therefore can't be in God's presence because He can't be near sin. God knew we wouldn't be able to measure up to His standard of perfection, so He sent His only Son to die for the sins of the world. He gave His life so we could be with Him, all He asks in return is that we die to ourselves, take up our Cross and follow Him.

So we don't have to DO anything to be saved - why then do we need to do good works? Ephesians 2:8-10 says "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." These verses clearly say that we are saved only because of what God has done for us, and we only made the decision to follow Him. Salvation has nothing to do with works - it's after the fact that our lives should start to conform to Christ's. 

We are commanded to love The Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we are doing these things, not only will we be automatically be keeping the 10 Commandments (if we love God then we won't take His Name in vain, if we love our neighbor we won't steal from or lie to them, etc.), but we'll also be doing good works (if we love God then we'll tell others about Him, if we love our neighbor then we'll help them in their time of need, etc.). 

His leaf shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper. Remember that we are not promised a perfect life, but we are promised that God will never leave us. Will our living conditions wither? Maybe, maybe not. Will we be rich and prosperous in terms of our possessions? Maybe, maybe not. This verse is speaking of our spiritual lives - when we're in the Word and in fellowship, our spirit won't wither because God will be the One sustaining us. We can't grow if we're depending on our own strength to get us through life. 

Just yesterday, I didn't make enough time to do my devotions and spend time with The Lord in the morning - so I relied on my strength to get me through the day. I know that anything I do turns out to be garbage unless I rely on God. He is perfect, I am a sinner. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." I may be able to accomplish some things on my own - but they won't be of any eternal value. I can do ALL things, but ONLY through Christ.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says that in our weakness we are strong. It's a paradox, but it's true. We can only take on Christ's strength when we become empty of ourselves and realize we can do nothing without Him.  Ministry here in Kenya requires a lot of strength and endurance - we get tired, cranky and sick, but God says He will help us get through it if we ask Him. I desire to live each day in His strength instead of my own.