Daily devotional, July 11, 2024 Riverside
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
John 6:63
My grandparents lived near a river. My dad’s stories about his childhood mostly revolved around swimming in it and playing next to it. Thanks to that wonderful stream, my dad had a lot of fun memories growing up.
As followers of Jesus, we will also thrive in our Christian life when we are like a tree planted by the river. In one of King David’s psalms, Psalm 1, he emphasized the importance of planting oneself in God’s word so that we can lead fruitful and meaningful lives.
"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."
Psalm 1:3
Since the river provides a constant source of nutrition to a tree that is planted nearby, the tree will continue to grow and strengthen. Its roots will firmly be planted in the ground as it searches for the life-giving water provided by the stream. And as it continues to seek and receive nourishment, its deep roots will make the tree stronger and more stable when calamities arise.
Its equivalent to us humans, is a person rooted to God through His words and presence. This is the person who taps on the strength of the Lord by reading and studying the Bible, following its teachings, and holding on to its promises.
In one of Prophet Jeremiah’s sermons, he emphasized that a man who draws strength from God will not be anxious during times of trouble.
"'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, or its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought,for it does not cease to bear fruit.'”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
But won’t being rooted in God mean that everything will be rosy for us? That we will start to be free from problems since God is already on our side? Of course not! Jesus Himself told us through the Gospel of John that:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
So how can we have peace when we know that difficulties will still be inevitable in spite of us surrendering our lives to the Lord? Well, we can take a cue from this passage from the book of the Prophet Isaiah:
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Isaiah 43:2
If we read the above passage closely, we can observe that the operative word in the passage is WHEN, and not IF, which means it is inevitable that we will indeed encounter challenges in our life journey. However, if we love God, we are rooted in Him, and we strengthen ourselves in His words, we can claim His promise that He will be with us through it all.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Apart from being more resilient from challenges, being rooted in God also means we can be more fruitful. According to the First Psalm, a person rooted in God is like a tree that does not cease to bear fruit. A fruit that is although not tangible, it can be seen manifesting in our lives and blesses others.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
And when we live fruitful and meaningful lives, we will earn God’s approval and He will prosper us, just like what the Psalm promises: “Whatever He does prospers.” Such prosperity though does not equate to anything material, or financial. God will bless us with gifts that not even the wealthiest man can buy: peace and joy that transcends circumstances, meaningful memories, godly relationships, and more importantly His presence and guidance in our lives.
As one of the fruitful trees in God’s orchard, we can rest assured that we can trust and hold on to His promises, and count on His unfailing love throughout our lives.
"Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts."
Jeremiah 15:16
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 1 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you planted in God’s word?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me the opportunity to draw strength from you. Give me the confidence to fully trust in you especially when times are tough, and that I remain firmly rooted in your love and presence. Amen.
