Psalm 1 - To Be or Not to Be

Shakespeare wasn't the first to pen this age old question. The Anonymous writer of the first Psalm contrasts the life of Godly person with that of the wicked drawing a line in the sand giving the readers a choice for their life: it is God's way or the wrong way? It was in this very first psalm I was given confirmation to go this path of starting up this summer study. The path of personal quiet time with the Lord looked a little easier than hosting women and children each week into my half unpacked home. Lord, I don't have a patio or patio furniture let alone the skills to lead. I know God is a patient God but I am pretty sure He may have rolled his eyes at my excuse. I had lots of excuses but no good reason to refuse this opportunity to host a summer study in my home. Psalm 1:3 says of the righteous, "He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." So I want that, I wanted to be planted by the streams of water, living a Spirit filled life, constantly drawing from His love explained to me in his love letter of the Bible. I want to yield fruit for His kingdom, I don't want to wither from being away from Him and His word this summer, and of course I want to be prosperous. Surely I can do this alone I figured. Until I contemplated the fruit aspect. Even self-pollinating fruit yields better with other trees around, most fruit trees need at least one other of its kind around to pollinate and produce fruit. What is the point of a healthy well watered, non withered fruit tree if it can't produce fruit because it isolated itself? So that is what Wednesday mornings are going to be about. Just a couple fruit trees who've been well watered by spending personal time with God ever day studying the psalms coming together to pollinate insights and struggles from the study to help us grow better fruit to serve the kingdom of God. If we stay rooted in Him, the very source of life, we will prosper and it will help keep us off a path of destruction.