3-12-2023

Good Morning All,

       Psalm 1:3; “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.”

    It happens more often than we think it does.  You are calmly living your life and life is good.  Maybe you are married to the person that really completes and complements you.  Your job is fulfilling and challenging in a good way.  If you have children, they are growing nicely without any major issues.  Life is good; it might not spectacular but good.  We are content, for the most part.  We even go to church once in a while and even throw some money in for good measure.  Yet something is missing.

   Then things change.  These changes may occur over time or may be sudden, but things change.  The new boss at work, or the new company which bought the old one out, makes the job more stressful and less enjoyable.  Maybe there is even a transfer to a new location and now you are away from longtime friends and family.  Maybe the kids don’t call home anymore and they don’t even have a church.  The person you are married to just seems so distant and out of sorts.  Life is not a lot of trouble just not a lot of contentment.

    There can be many reasons for this but one common reason is that we have an intellectual relationship with God.  We know God is; we know God has forgiven us and we even believe it but that is as far as it goes.  We talk a good game but we don’t really live it.  This is why it is so important to maintain a good devotional life.  We need to spend time with and in God’s Word.  It is possible to be saved yet miss many of God’s blessings here in this life.  We can be saved yet continue to think that we must bear the burdens of this life by ourselves.

    This is why God tells us to meditate on his law.  It is by reading his Word that he speaks to us.  It is by this daily meditation that the Words of God are brought to us so that we can remember them when we need them.  This is how we become trees planted by the water.  This imagery is to bring to mind the depth of the roots and the strength of the tree and its ability to produce abundant fruit.  If we aren’t planted by the streams, if we let the thoughts, ideas, plans and cares of the world surround us, we lose out on some of God’s blessings.  We end up more like a tree in the desert.  It still produces fruit but not as much; it is not quite as tall or strong.  It is easily bent and broken. 

     God calls us to be his children and he wants for his children to live a full, rich life.  He wants us to have the good gifts of this life, but we only truly receive them if we are planted by the streams if we stay in daily contact with God.  Martin Luther suggested that we do it three times a day; when we get up, at the noon meal and when we go to bed.  The value of studying God’s Word and holding it close to our heart will lead to contentment in this world and contentment with those around us.

Dear Father, draw us closer to you that we may know the true peace which you offer to us.  Guide us by your Spirit into the life which you want us to live.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret