Weekly Devotionals - 30 January

“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” (Psalm 1:3, NIV)

Our life is our message, and we must make a daily effort to surrender our lives back to God – re-dedicating ourselves in an allegiance towards our True and Living God. Nothing else matters more. We serve a God of peace who wants to sanctify us completely – spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23), so we can live meaningful and fruitful lives that count for eternity. Hence, we can draw three pertinent questions from Psalm 1 that can help us prosper, God’s way:

1. Who are we following?

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.” (Psalm 1:1, NLT)

In Psalm 1, the writer begins by extolling the “joys of those” not based on a person’s race, gender, religious affiliation, income status, or educational level. It is dependent on whether they are following the wicked, the sinners, or the mockers. As Christians, we have a choice to make every day – are we following Jesus to the best of our ability? Or are we following the ways of the world? Commitment itself is not enough, self-effort will only get us so far; God requires our surrender. The Lord will be judging us based on our faith in Him and our response to His revealed will,that is, to finish the race well (2 Timothy 4:7).

It has been said that we are the average of the five persons closest to us – if you spend the most time with happy people, you get happier. If you spend time mostly with pessimistic people, you will become pessimistic, and so on. The truth is, it is much more than that. We are the average of all the people that surround us. Look around and make sure you are in the right company. Be careful who you spend the most time with each day – whilst we must have contact with pre-believers if we are to witness to them, we must not join in or imitate sinful behaviour.

2. What are we delighting in?

“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” (Psalm 1:2, ESV)

The physical things of the world will not satisfy our spiritual hunger. No amount of entertainment, thrills, and earthly accomplishments can ever provide us with the inner delight that can only be found in Jesus. We must spend time alone with God  to read, reflect, and remember how much He truly loves us. The Psalmist shares the joys that come through delighting in the “law of the law, meditating on it day and night.”

Whilst God does not promise to shield us from all failure and difficulties, He promises to never abandon us (Hebrews 13:5) and invites us to come to Him to rest whenever we are weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28). The Bible provides precedence – Abraham who passed the test of surrendering Isaac, received God’s blessing for his obedience (Genesis 22:1-18). Job feared God, stayed away from evil, but was also tested (Job 1:1, 12). Upon humbling himself, God rewarded him for his persistence in trusting Him (Job 42:10). Will we also choose to delight in God alone when we are tested? Will we persevere in faith if our reward does not come immediately? What if it may not come in this lifetime?

3. Will we surrender to let God change us to live as He wants?

“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” (Psalm 1:3, NIV)

God has provisioned for our well-being and good health (3 John 2, Isaiah 53:5), yet there can be times in our lives when we are called to trust Him. Coming to a new place of surrender – surrendering all things to a loving Father God who knows what is best for us in the long haul, a “prospering in all” that we do by achieving the greatest good that God has planned, o receiving the joys and strength from God to keep on building (Nehemiah 8:10), and therein, reveal His reality to others for whom our lives are a testimony.

When we choose to prosper God’s way, it determines how we will spend eternity with Him, planted like the tree along that eternal river with “the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Revelation 22:1)

Monday: Psalm 1:1
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

Tuesday: Psalm 1:2
“But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.

Wednesday: Psalm 1:3
“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Thursday: 2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

Friday: Hebrews 13:5
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.

Saturday: Matthew 11:28
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Sunday: 3 John 2
Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Living Translation.
By Bro David Jeremiah Mok