Blessed to Thrive

 Psalm 1 (NASB)

"How blessed is the man who does 

not walk 

in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand 

in the path of sinners,

Nor sit 

in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is 

in the law of the LORD,

And in His law 

he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree 

firmly planted 

by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit 

in its season

And its leaf does 

not wither;

And in whatever he does, 

he prospers.

The wicked are not so,

But they are like chaff 

which the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked 

will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners 

in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD 

knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked 

will perish."

The Bible is our book of answers. 

What answers do you find to the following questions?

Consider this cross-reference about water. When Jesus met a woman who came to a well to draw water, this is what He had to say about water. 

John 4:10,11. (NASB)  "Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.

”She *said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?

13,14 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Study questions - 

Start from the last verse and build a list of comparisons between these two groups (wicked and righteous) and the relationship to a sturdy well-watered tree and a plant whose leaves are dried and blown away by the wind. 

Wicked

     What happens to the way of the wicked?

     Will sinners (those who continue in sin) remain standing in the judgment?

     What will happen to the wicked (dry leaves) when the wind blows?

Righteous

   Remember they are planted by streams of water. Even in dry/hard seasons when others might wither, what happens to the leaves of the righteous?

   When the righteous are following God's will for their lives, what fruit will they see? 

   Do you see a significance in the contrast between the righteous being firmly planted as opposed to the wicked being blown away by the wind?

     How often does a righteous person dwell/meditate on the Law of God, the Bible?

   Is it (studying/meditating on the Word of God) a chore for him or something he enjoys?

   Where will you NOT find a righteous person

          walking?

         standing?

          sitting?

Considering the cross-reference from John, what is the ultimate blessing mentioned in the first line of the Psalm? 

Looking at the Psalm as a whole, why does God supply us with this living water? 

What/Who is our source of living water?

Do you see a lesson about staying firmly planted in the Word of God rather than moving to different waters (empty religions) and remaining a sapling, not nourished by the river of life? What happened to the leaves of the wicked? 

Additional thoughts to consider. You might have heard of the Dead Sea. It's a deep salt lake, where water doesn't flow. Its high salt level makes it unsuitable for most plant or animal life. While the salt is used for various purposes, the water is considered dead. 

How does this compare to the fresh, living water where trees take root and grow? What does salt do to most plants?

Click here to see the video and hear an audio of this Psalm.

      

When God's Promises are Conditional

 

Many of God's promises to us are unconditional, however, there are some in which we must meet conditions before we can expect Him to fulfill His promise. 

If we do something, then God will do something. I call these "if/then" promises. 

In the example below, I put the if/when in bold for us to easily see.   

If we request wisdom from God by asking in faith without doubting Him,

then He will give it. 

James 1:5-7

What is the "if" part that we are required to do? 

If we request wisdom from God ...

But is it enough to simply ask God for wisdom? 

No. Before He grants us wisdom, He expects us to ask a certain way. 

in faith

How much faith? 

without doubting Him.

I like to divide the phrases by structuring them so I can see the main parts and supporting parts. It helps me see and remember the main points.

If we request wisdom from God 

by asking in faith (part 1)

without doubting Him, (part 2, expanding on part 1)

then He will give it. 

James 1:5-7

With the Scripture structured this way, it's easier to see both parts of our responsibility in the request and His response. 

If we request 1) in faith 2) without doubting Him, then He will give it.

Here's another example. Read the passage below and find the if/when.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Because there are several items in the "if" part and the "then" part, let's structure the verse into a list. My thoughts are in parentheses.

If my people, which are called by my name, (clarifies the question of which people)

1) shall humble themselves, 

2) and pray, 

3) and seek my face, 

4) and turn from their wicked ways; 

then 

1) will I hear from heaven, 

2) and will forgive their sin, 

3) and will heal their land. 

2 Chronicles 7:14

Making this simple listed helps with understanding each element. Sometimes, I write a number over the word/phrase in my Bible or make a list beside the verse.

Here's another if/then example. 

“If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the LORD of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.

Malachi 2:2

Let's structure that verse so we can see the elements of if/when. Look for my notes in brackets.  with some questions and answers I noticed.

“If you do not listen, 

and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the LORD of hosts, 

[Is it enough to listen? No. We must take it to heart to give honor to the LORD]

“then I will send the curse upon you [notice the LORD gives us a chance to listen and take to heart]

and I will curse your blessings; 

and indeed, I have cursed them already, 

because you are not taking it to heart. [Did God have a reason to curse them? Yes, "because" is a term of conclusion. Because they didn't take heart, He cursed them.]

This is an example of spending a little extra time in Bible study to explore and learn truths in Scripture. Taking a few minutes to structure the verse(s) and make lists are easy ways to get more out of your Bible study time.

Here's another passage with an example of "if/then." This time the "if/then" is implied but easy to see.

And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, 

you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea';

and it would obey you. 

Luke 17:6

Another example of implied if/then.

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

Matthew 6:31-34

The main point is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. By reading the verses before and after we see the context, and better understand it. 

The first two sentences explain the problem - us worrying about what we will have to eat, drink, or wear. Instead, Jesus told them to to do something else first. (seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.) 

The last two sentences summarize the whole passage so they were clear on the meaning. "So" is another term of conclusion. Because of the reminder that our Father knows our needs, we have a reason to live without worrying about them. He ends with an instruction, "so" do not worry. 

Want to practice on your own? Try it in Proverbs 2:1-6.

If/then phrases whether written or implied are great ways to add more depth and understanding to your time with the Lord, in His Word.

Remember to pray first, and ask God to send His Holy Spirit to teach you and fill you with the wisdom to not only read, but take to heart what He wants you to know.

I'm praying God will richly bless you as you seek Him above all things.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.