Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalms 1:1-3
Delighting in the law of the Lord...in God's word, the Bible... day and night. Does that mean all the time? Obviously we can't be reading the Bible 24/7, but it can be the influence on everything we do, if we let it. The illustration of a tree growing beside a pure, clean stream is a very appropriate one. A tender young plant needs plenty of nourishment, mainly a good water source, in order to reach it's full potential. Water is so vital to a tree's continued survival.
After spending several days in a row working on our own garden I really came to appreciate the necessity of a constant source of clean cold water, for myself! Without water a plant will wither and eventually die. Without the water of God's word we will shrink spritually and eventually we might even stop growing, serving or even thinking about Him. Remember back to the last time you were really hot and thirsty, maybe you were doing yard work like me in the hot sun. Maybe you were particpating in a very active sport and you were parched dry and very tired. Were you thoughts of having a nice hot bowl of popcorn, or maybe a big long drink of hot tomato soup? Proabably not. Ice cold water was what you wanted , huh? Clear, cold, refreshing water. Admit it, nothing refreshes like cold water, no matter what the commercials for soda tell you, water is the best. It's no wonder God uses water in this verse.
Just like the tree benefits from the clean flowing waters, we will benefit from the cleaning flowing water of His word. The water is flowing to show it's clean and fit for the plant. His word is perfect and the only true food for our spirit. It flows into us and it should flow out of us as well. Just like the healthy plants bears fruit , the healthy Christian should bear fruit as well. Love , joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, meekness and all the rest of the gifts as well as sharing His word with others. The leaves are not withered. Are we 'dried up'? Does our life need 'refreshing'? God has a nice cool drink of water for you.
God promises that being in His word will benefit us, physically, spritually and in every other way. His words are the words of life, they bring healing and change to our lives each and every time we read them.
