Key Verse: Verse 3 - “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
Key Words: He shall be...planted
From our text we see the psalmist comparing the believer to a productive, fruitful tree. The psalmist gives us at least two reasons for the tree’s productivity.
First of all, it is planted! Verse three says, “And he shall be like a tree planted...”. The idea is well-grounded – a good root system. If you buy a tree and never plant it, it will never be fruitful and will eventually die.
Secondly, where you plant the tree is important: verse three goes on to say, “...by the rivers of water.” Trees planted by the riverbank have good soil (which is symbolic of the heart [see Mark 4:20]), and plenty of water (which is symbolic of the Word of God [see Ephesians 5:26]).
Just as the tree must be planted and have the right location, good soil, and plenty of water; so must the fruitful believer.
The psalmist gives us three things that will destroy our productivity.
First of all, whom you listen to: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” Be careful to whom you listen.
Secondly, whom you linger with: “nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” Be careful with whom you run.
Thirdly, what you take heed to: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord.”
It is easy to tell whom one listens to, the worldly or wise. It is easy to tell whom one runs with, and it is easy to tell who spends time in God’s Word. It shows all over them.
I heard of a man who was digging for oil. It seemed that his well was going to be a dry hole, but he believed that there was oil at that place. So he kept digging, and the people thought he was crazy to keep on spending money on that worthless well. But he said that there was oil in there. He kept digging and spent all the money he had and borrowed about all he could get.
Finally he went down until he struck a gusher. He took his old hat and stuck it under the oil gushing out of the ground, filled it up, and put it on his head. He ran down the main street of town. He did not have to say anything. He had oil all over him, on his face and clothes. Everyone could see that he had struck oil, for he had it all over him.
Can others easily tell that we have Christ all over us?
The next time you see a tree growing by the water, ask yourself, “Where am I planted, and what am I producing?”
What to do:
✞ Apply the above and ask yourself, “Where am I planted, and what am I producing?”
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