Psalm Sunday – Psalm 1: 3

That person [the one who delights in the law of the Lord] is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Good Soil

There is something you may have heard about called the “prosperity gospel.*” I acknowledge this because it is a hot topic for many Bible-believing Christians. In the study of James that we just started James dives right in by talking about “trials of many kinds.” Paul, in his letter to the Romans (Chapter 5) starts with a discussion of sufferings and how believers are to “glory in our sufferings” (vs 3). So there is a potential for confusion. Some verses, like today’s, offer the hope of prospering while others talk about the reality of suffering. Yet I firmly believe that “all scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).

So what do we make of this?

My personal observation is this: Some things happen to us that are beyond our control, and things that happen because of our choices. To put it another way, there are things we have no control over and things that we do. The trials and sufferings that James and Paul write about fall generally under the category of “things we have no control over.” There are other things we can influence by the choices we make.

Figure 1 – Two Circles of Influence

As you can see by my simple drawing in Figure 1, there are two separate circles. But life is not really like that. The circles have to touch, overlap, and at times overtake each other. (See Figure 2)

Figure 2 – Real Life – Influences Overlap

There are times and places in history where outside influences are overwhelming (See Figure 3)

Figure 3 – Outside Influences Overpower Everything Else

And times when the opposite is true: Outside influences have almost no impact on our lives. (See Figure 4)

Figure 4 – Outside Influences are Inconsequential

So my point is this: Striving for the prosperity this verse calls us to is good. However, it is not a guarantee that outside events will never overtake us. But ask yourself this: If delighting in the law of the Lord leads you to prosper in God’s economy (not the worlds!), isn’t it worth it? To put it another way; would you rather face the trials of life burdened by the consequences of ignoring the law of the Lord, or would you prefer to face life’s challenges like a tree planted by streams of water?

Application: Spend time in God’s Word. Get to know the heart of his law. Not the letter of the Old Testament Covenant law, but the heart of God’s law that transcends both covenants.

Food for Thought: What does it mean to prosper even during trials and suffering?

*The ”prosperity gospel” is a term that refers to a gospel message that focuses more on material wealth than on spiritual health. The danger of the prosperity gospel is that it can leave people with the wrong impression. People may think if bad things happen God doesn’t love them because they aren’t good enough. This is NOT TRUE. None of us are ”good enough.” (Romans 3: 23) The Good News of the Gospel is that it is God’s love that saves us (John 3: 16) not our works.