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Like a Tree Firmly Planted
LIKE A TREE FIRMLY PLANTED
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields it fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:3).
This quote comes from Psalm 1. It’s a short psalm that is worth reading and re-reading. It deals with the most fundamental choices of life. It is a reminder of an oft-repeated truth found in Scripture, that there are basically two very different paths in life.
The path we take is determined by our attitude toward God and his word. There are some who are described as “scoffers” (v. 1). These are opposed to God and his laws. They stand in contrast to those who delight in God’s laws and who are devoted to thinking and meditating on them day and night (v. 2). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).
Our path in life is determined by the choices we make. Those who choose to walk in the counsel of the wicked may eventually find themselves in the wrong company and headed down the wrong path. It is a matter of the choices we make in life. What counsel will we follow? What advice will we adopt? What is our thinking?
The path traveled by the wicked is a way that is doomed from the start. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 16:25). Those who follow this path are like chaff that is thrown away. Choosing the wrong pathway has consequences.
Those who choose the high road in life are those who are blessed. The good way is the way of devotion to the law of the Lord. God’s word is the road map that guides us in the right way. The one who travels the good way will be like a well-planted, fruitful tree (Jer. 17:5-8). It is the way that brings stability, life, and prosperity.
God knows the way of the righteous. He cares about us. Which path shall we choose to travel?
Dan Petty
