Psalm 1:2-3 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 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.
The first thirty years of my life were spent in Baltimore, Maryland, and I have many fond memories there. One of these is a trail in the woods by the Patapsco River. I used to go fishing there with my dad and spent many a weekend hanging out with my friends, wading in the water.
Jogging down that same trail yesterday, I noticed for the first time an enormous oak tree growing right along the riverbank, and the Lord reminded me of this passage. Each of us is a tree, and the river is the Word of God. How big and fruitful we become depends on our proximity to the river.
It's encouraging to know that despite the spiritual drought around us -- we don't have to wither! Everything we do can prosper, but we must sink our roots deep down at the very edge -- as close as we can get -- to the living river of God's Word.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]A United States Army officer who trained pupils at Fort Sill for over 20 years once described the different qualities of the students during the two decades of his tenure. During the 1950’s, he observed the students’ attitude as being so lax that the instructors had trouble keeping their students awake during their lectures. This drastically changed in the mid 1960’s. The students began taking meticulous notes and absorbing every word of instruction. So, what changed?
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