S216P1 – Psalms of promise: prospering in God’s wil

Psa. 1:1-3

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.  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.

He held himself out as a Christian, not being overtly obvious about his faith but never shying away from defending it when challenged.  In his line of work, faith would have been seen by most as a non-issue, but the way most people worked in that industry said quite a bit about what they believed.  He wanted to be competitive and successful, but he had no desire to employ the standard business tactics of that industry, doing what everyone else did but just trying to do it better.  Business success would have been great, but he understood that his success really needed to come in another form.  He would follow the ways of the Lord to ensure that his work prospered spiritually, and the rest would be a natural consequence. 

This passage gives us a clear warning on the types of people and behaviors that we should avoid if we are to remain in God’s will.  When we require counsel, we are not to rely on the ungodly.  Whether our issue is personal or professional in nature, our approach should be godly, and only godly people can lead us in that approach.  We do not follow the ways of the sinners or desire to occupy the positions of the scornful.  We are to pursue the ways of God daily.  We are to find gladness in his ways, to pursue them as a treasure.  Our only provision and sustenance come from him, and this is how we remain in his will.  When we delight in his ways and practice them, we walk as He would have us walk and bear fruit.

Many ungodly people in the world will appear to prosper and bear fruit.  They will achieve commercial and financial success, and they will appear to want for nothing, but that is the world’s illusion of prosperity.  To prosper in the will of God is not necessarily prosperity by the world’s standards.  Prosperity for the Christian is about remaining in God’s will and doing as He would desire.  This is how we bear fruit.  The real question is the kind of fruit we are pursuing.  We can choose the road that produces the illusion of fruitful prosperity, or we can take the road that leads to true prosperity by good spiritual fruit.  Father, keep us faithful to remain in your will and seek that which is truly spiritually prosperous.