Psalm 1 is one of my favorite Scriptures. It’s short, sweet and to the point. It offers those who follow God one of the greatest promises for this life. First it states a condition or a command, then it issues a promise if that condition is met. Here are the first three verses:
First, the condition:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly Nor stands in the path of sinners Nor sits in the seat of the scornful But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1–2 NKJV).
Now the promise:
Verse 3: He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
The Exhortation in today’s English: Don’t hang out with people who hate God and disobey Him. Read the Word of God constantly. Meditate on it day and night.
The Promise in today’s English: You shall be successful in all that you do.
Wow! What a promise! Many people translate prosper in that verse to mean attain financial success, but I looked up the word prosper in the dictionary and it means: “to be successful, to thrive, to flourish; sometimes in the financial sense.” God doesn’t care so much whether we accumulate a lot of wealth. In fact, the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil:
He who trusts in his riches will fall (Proverbs 11:28 NKJV).
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches (Proverbs 22:1 NJKV).
A man with an evil eye hastens after riches (Proverbs 28:22 NJKV).
Neither Jesus nor any of His disciples were rich. Most didn’t even have a place to call home. Some had only the clothes on their back. Surely these disciples meditated on the Word of God. Good grief, they had the Word of God in the flesh right with them! And, aside from Judas, we know they didn’t consort with the wicked. They met the conditions, didn’t they? So what happened? Would you say they were successful men? Would you say they accomplished what they set out to do? Remember, it was by and through this handful of ordinary men that the Roman empire was brought to its knees and the gospel of Jesus was spread to the four corners of the known world. Given that, I would say that yes, their lives were extremely successful. They thrived at what they did. They flourished. They led victorious lives.
Now, I ask you, would you rather be rich or lead a victorious life? For me, I’d much rather be victorious. Money is fleeting. Riches can be destroyed in an instant and do not bring true happiness. But being victorious in what you do for God lasts forever. Do you want to make a difference in this world? Do you want your life to mean something for all eternity? The formula is laid out quite simply for you in Psalm 1.
Jesus made it even simpler when asked what was the most important commandment. He answered in Mark 12:
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. Do this and you will live, Jesus said (Mark 12:30–31 NKJV).
And when He said live, I believe he meant that “abundant life” he spoke about in John 10:10. Not riches, not lots of stuff, but a full, meaningful, victorious life!
MaryLu Tyndall