Different Ways In Life

The book of Psalms highlights two main ways in life. It’s begins with 3 life lessons in Psalm 1

“ this is the one who does not walk and sit with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but who is July is in the law of the Lord, who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by the streams of water which yield its fruit and season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever they do propers. Not so the wicked, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, or sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked needs to destruction.”

This Psalm shows us that there are different ways in life. what goes into our life determines what comes out.

The way of the righteous and the way of the wicked are the two main ways in life. The way we live is essentially our path and each of them have consequences that go with them.

A noteworthy thing about different ways in life is that always are separate from the people that take them. In other words, the righteous and the wicked represents the type of people we can be at any given time based on how we are living at any given time.

We are always on a path. Whether we are aware of it or not our path is taking us somewhere. Each decision we make authors our destination, and so we must consciously ask ourselves where am I headed based on the decisions? I’m making am doing things more aligned with being righteous or wicked? The answers to these questions should cause us to adjust if necessary so we don’t end up in an undesired destination.

God watches over the way of the righteous. Psalm 1:6 Tells us that God watches over us when we are righteous. It’s a reminder that God is no respecter of people. Nobody is special. And at the end of the day, it’s whether we are righteous before God or not.

Being righteous places us on a path which He looks after and being up on a path that qualifies us for His blessings and protection.

What goes into our life determines what comes out.

The second lesson is in Psalm 1:2 and points to the secret of righteous person prospering in whatever they do, tells us that righteous people delight is in the law of the Lord and those who meditate on His law day and night. God’s word is what righteous people pour into their lives, and by pouring it into our lives, it produces the good that comes out of it.

This is the law nature. it can apply too many things. If you’re baking a cake, the ingredient you put in it determines what type of cake comes out. the time you spend studying for a test affects the grade you get. What you eat dictates your weight and vitality.

Since it’s a law, note that in addition to prospering like the righteous by doing what is described in Psalm 1 you can get just about anything out of life by putting whatever into it that’s required. If you are not getting the results, you desire, but you are putting in the work, reassess what’s really required for you to achieve what you desire.

We are like trees.

The third lesson we learned from Psalm 1 is that we are like trees. Seeing ourselves like trees, exposes certain truths about who we are as humans that can help us live a more fruitful life. This Psalm isn’t the only place in the Bible compares us to trees. Jeremiah 7:7-8 says something similar. It says,

“ But blessed is the one who trust in the Lord whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out his roots by the stream. It does not fear when he comes, it’s leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Our environment makes a difference.

Psalm 1:3 describes a person that delights in God’s law and meditate on it day and night “like a tree planted by streams of water,” like trees, we start out like seeds, and if the seed doesn’t water, soil, and sunlight it never grows. So although we may have it in ourselves to be great in life being in the wrong environment threatens our potential. Thankfully, unlike trees, which need to be lucky to be planted by water, we can change our environment if it isn’t helping us to grow.

We attract people by our fruit.

Seeing ourselves like trees is that we can attract people by our fruit. Fruit go hand-in-hand with trees, and just like there are scriptures to describe us as trees, there are scriptures that describe what we can do as fruits. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us about “the fruit of the spirit.” Matthew. 7:16 says, “we are known by our fruit.” The interesting thing about a tree fruit is that it is what attracts people. I have apple trees, pear, trees, and cherry trees in my yard. Every year, I am excited to get these fruits off my trees when they are ripe for picking.

The significance of this is, once we bear fruit in our lives, we will attract people. In the case of the fruit of the spirit, it is a light that leads others to the kingdom of God. When people see that you are prospering and whatever you do, they’ll notice.

Since there are different ways in life, choose the way that leads to godly success in this life and ultimately eternal life. Remember what goes into your life determines what comes out so make changes necessary to get what you want out of life. Given our similarity to trees, keep yourself in the right environment so that you live up to your potential and attract others to the kingdom of God with our fruits.