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"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His Law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." (Psalms 1:1-3 ESV)
We should not be surprised that Scripture describes our sinful nature in unflattering ways. The Lord "remembers that we are dust"—frail people who easily give in to temptation (Psalm 103:14b). In His parables Jesus describes the person who does not yet believe as wandering sheep, a lost coin, and a runaway son (see Luke 15). Perhaps in the most unflattering of these sadly accurate descriptions, the apostle Paul describes us in our unbelief as dead bodies (see Ephesians 2:1-2). Far from being the fruitful tree of Psalm 1, those who follow their sinful desires are called "fruitless trees" and "uprooted," (Jude 12b). Those who are lost in sin listen to the counsel of the wicked, follow the ways of sinners, and enjoy fellowship with scoffers.
Our gracious God loves the world and the people He created. He loves the lost and wandering and sent His Son to be the world's Savior. Jesus took up the tree of the cross for the sake of our salvation. He bore our sins and the sins of the whole world in His body and died the death that should have been ours. He died to save lost, wandering runaways, frail dust, the dead in sin, and all who walk in the counsel of the wicked. The Holy Spirit calls us to repentance and enlightens us by the Gospel. Through faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and we now have new and much more flattering descriptions!
We are still sheep and coins and sons (and daughters), but we who were once lost have now been found. Frail dust has become clay to be shaped by God's hands for service to others in His Name. No longer wandering along selfish, sinful pathways, we are rooted deeply in our risen Lord, the true Vine and our Source of life. Once dead in sin, we have been raised to new life in Jesus. We are growing, thriving, fruit-bearing trees "planted by streams of water," the living water that is the Spirit of God. As we delight in the Law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night, the Holy Spirit produces His fruit in our lives—"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22b-23a ESV). With our words of witness and works of love we bear witness to our Savior and, in the Spirit's power, we prosper!
We Pray: Jesus, help me to grow in faith and bear the fruit of good works that glorify Your holy Name. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on June 10, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Though humans are resilient, they are also fragile. Can you name some ways in which people are easily broken?
2. What is a scoffer? What's the danger in sitting by one?
3. How does meditating on God's Law (His Word) make us strong, like a tree planted by a stream?
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