Like a Tree: Psalm 1
“1) How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3) He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4) The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6) For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalms 1:1-6
In looking at this Psalm, I need to share a bit of my story. It is deeply tied to these six verses.
The night that I put faith in Jesus Christ way back in September of 1973, the Holy Spirit led me to this Psalm. Because of my poor reading ability, I had to memorize it in order to read it. It took me all night. it was the first chapter in the Bible that I memorized.
My Christian life started with a dynamic encounter with the Holy Spirit and a deep commitment to the Word of God. As I memorized this Psalm, I meditated on it literally all night. It took me seven hours to memorize, but that set a pattern for my life.
That night, I knew my life would follow one of two paths. It was my choice. I could build my life on the Word of God and be like a tree planted by streams of water; or, I could ignore Gods Word and be like dried up chaff in the desert blown by the wind.
The book of Matthew was the first book I set out to memorize. I was amazed that Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount much like Psalm one. He said we would build our life on the rock or the sand. (Matthew 7:24-27) I purposed to build my life on the rock by acting on Gods Word.
As I continued to study, read and memorize Scripture, my life started changing. Because of my background, I still had demonic attacks, strong immoral temptations and terrible issues with anger. I failed some tests, but the Holy Spirit was actively changing me.
Each time I failed, the enemy would rub my nose in deep condemnation. But by God’s grace, I would confess, repent and crawl out of that pit and get up and continue to pursue Jesus.
I also started sharing the gospel with anyone who would listen. Soon, a few people turned into many. My grades in school radically changed. Three years later, I graduated as an honor student.
I was also leading Bible studies in nursing homes, preaching in churches around our region in Minnesota and joined a Bible Quizzing Team. We won nationals the very first year.
That first year of quizzing, we memorized the book of 1 Corinthians. That became very providential in overcoming my sensual temptations and understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word should be active and powerful in our lives.
Psalm chapter one became my launching pad. It is still one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I have had failures in my life, but by Gods grace I never fell into a prolonged period of backsliding.
The Holy Spirit has always held me with a very short leash. I’ve also had several sessions with my Heavenly Father at wood shed for serious times of discipline. (See Hebrews 12:4-13) I always responded with brokenness and sincere repentance. Jesus Christ became my absolute best friend and first love!
My walk with Jesus has now spanned over five decades. By Gods amazing grace, He has taken the lowliest of all men and opened amazing doors around the world. My life has indeed become like a tree planted by streams of water.
My highlight and my greatest delight has now become my daily walk with Jesus in the Spirit. Serving Him is the overflow of walking with Him. I absolutely love drinking constantly from rivers of living water.
I’m kind of a maverick. I despise church as usual. I don’t care what others are doing or waste time following the latest Christian pop stars or trends. I just focus on Jesus and His Word while thoroughly enjoying my daily walk in the Spirit.
Looking back over the decades, I realize I’ve become like a planted tree. I just abide in Jesus and His Word and constantly drink from rivers of living water flowing from the Holy Spirit. It’s not fancy or trendy, but it’s glorious beyond description.
I can barely remember the man I used to be or the deep struggles I’ve endured. It’s been a long journey, but I’ve become a new creation in Christ. (1 Corinthians 5:17) I am more passionately in love with Jesus Christ today than any previous time in my life.
That’s my simple story. It’s taken over fifty years, but this planted acorn has become an oak tree by streams of living water.
However, because I own a small sawmill and enjoy hobby logging, I understand that a fifty year old oak tree barely makes a good saw log. It has a lot of growing before it becomes a mighty oak.
What does that mean? God is not finished with me yet. I still have a lot of learning, growing and fruitful years of serving Jesus in front of me. Welcome to Psalm chapter one and my life story.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“1) How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3) He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4) The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6) For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalms 1:1-6
In looking at this Psalm, I need to share a bit of my story. It is deeply tied to these six verses.
The night that I put faith in Jesus Christ way back in September of 1973, the Holy Spirit led me to this Psalm. Because of my poor reading ability, I had to memorize it in order to read it. It took me all night. it was the first chapter in the Bible that I memorized.
My Christian life started with a dynamic encounter with the Holy Spirit and a deep commitment to the Word of God. As I memorized this Psalm, I meditated on it literally all night. It took me seven hours to memorize, but that set a pattern for my life.
That night, I knew my life would follow one of two paths. It was my choice. I could build my life on the Word of God and be like a tree planted by streams of water; or, I could ignore Gods Word and be like dried up chaff in the desert blown by the wind.
The book of Matthew was the first book I set out to memorize. I was amazed that Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount much like Psalm one. He said we would build our life on the rock or the sand. (Matthew 7:24-27) I purposed to build my life on the rock by acting on Gods Word.
As I continued to study, read and memorize Scripture, my life started changing. Because of my background, I still had demonic attacks, strong immoral temptations and terrible issues with anger. I failed some tests, but the Holy Spirit was actively changing me.
Each time I failed, the enemy would rub my nose in deep condemnation. But by God’s grace, I would confess, repent and crawl out of that pit and get up and continue to pursue Jesus.
I also started sharing the gospel with anyone who would listen. Soon, a few people turned into many. My grades in school radically changed. Three years later, I graduated as an honor student.
I was also leading Bible studies in nursing homes, preaching in churches around our region in Minnesota and joined a Bible Quizzing Team. We won nationals the very first year.
That first year of quizzing, we memorized the book of 1 Corinthians. That became very providential in overcoming my sensual temptations and understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word should be active and powerful in our lives.
Psalm chapter one became my launching pad. It is still one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I have had failures in my life, but by Gods grace I never fell into a prolonged period of backsliding.
The Holy Spirit has always held me with a very short leash. I’ve also had several sessions with my Heavenly Father at wood shed for serious times of discipline. (See Hebrews 12:4-13) I always responded with brokenness and sincere repentance. Jesus Christ became my absolute best friend and first love!
My walk with Jesus has now spanned over five decades. By Gods amazing grace, He has taken the lowliest of all men and opened amazing doors around the world. My life has indeed become like a tree planted by streams of water.
My highlight and my greatest delight has now become my daily walk with Jesus in the Spirit. Serving Him is the overflow of walking with Him. I absolutely love drinking constantly from rivers of living water.
I’m kind of a maverick. I despise church as usual. I don’t care what others are doing or waste time following the latest Christian pop stars or trends. I just focus on Jesus and His Word while thoroughly enjoying my daily walk in the Spirit.
Looking back over the decades, I realize I’ve become like a planted tree. I just abide in Jesus and His Word and constantly drink from rivers of living water flowing from the Holy Spirit. It’s not fancy or trendy, but it’s glorious beyond description.
I can barely remember the man I used to be or the deep struggles I’ve endured. It’s been a long journey, but I’ve become a new creation in Christ. (1 Corinthians 5:17) I am more passionately in love with Jesus Christ today than any previous time in my life.
That’s my simple story. It’s taken over fifty years, but this planted acorn has become an oak tree by streams of living water.
However, because I own a small sawmill and enjoy hobby logging, I understand that a fifty year old oak tree barely makes a good saw log. It has a lot of growing before it becomes a mighty oak.
What does that mean? God is not finished with me yet. I still have a lot of learning, growing and fruitful years of serving Jesus in front of me. Welcome to Psalm chapter one and my life story.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
