The Picture of a Flourishing Life

Psalm 1:3

He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:3 CSB)
King David paints a picture for us, describing what life looks like when we choose to walk with Jesus and not the world.
He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams. Down in the Mississippi Delta stands a tree that is over 400 years old. It has weathered hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, damaging winds, wars, fires, ice and snow. What has allowed it to stand this long through all it has faced? It’s roots; they have grown deep down into the earth and grown wide. When we choose to meditate on God’s Word, we are growing our roots deeper and wider because we chose the living water. This kind of growth isn’t accidental, it’s intentional. The signs of this growth are:

• Stability – the ability to face the storms of life and not be blown over. It’s walking through the valley of the shadow of death and not being overcome by fear. God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. (Psalm 46:1-3 CSB)
• Fruitfulness – a tree never bears fruit for itself; it bears fruit for others. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles. In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. (Matthew 7:16-20 CSB)
• Endurance – leaves don’t wither on the tree that drinks from the well. Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” (John 4:13-14 MSG)

Psalm 1 doesn’t lay out a path for an easy life; it lays out a path for the rooted life. It is the path where we abide in Him and He abides in us, because apart from Him there is no fruitfulness. Psalm 1 is the path of prosperity, not as the world sees prosperity, but the kind of prosperity that can only come from the One who is holy, holy, holy and accomplishes His will on earth and through us.