Howdy,

Once again, another Sunday has rolled around and (yet again) it’s already been awhile since I’ve done a Sunday Scripture series post for the blog. Back to my trusty ESV Bible app on my iPhone (ESV: English Standard Version—a tremendous translation that I’d highly recommend) for a pick from my “FAVORITES.”

I skipped a few passages from Numbers, I Samuel, and Job, to select: Psalm 1:1-3.

Psalm one kicks of quite a collection of ancient song and wisdom, praise and protection, “the way of the righteous and the wicked,” and cries and choruses to the LORD, the ultimate Choirmaster.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he mediates day and night. 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” (Ps. 1:1-3).

I don’t know what all I want to attempt to say about those renowned verses, but I do know that I want that to be me.

And, as tempting as it may be, I don’t just want it because of the last line: “In all that he does, he prospers.” As there is no doubt no need to explain, since we would all want that—to prosper in all that we do, that sounds good—and I do want that, too. But I also want the portion that brings that about, that makes such a life and blessing possible.

I want to be wise enough to not walk in the thinking and behavior of the wicked or hangout in the philosophy or attitude of the wrong people or influences, in a way that would compromise my constitution for being blessed, receiving the blessing promised in Psalms. I want to be someone whose thinking is different, transformed and renewed: that my delight and my focus and guidance is God’s Word. I want to be faithful, strong, and established—planted in rich and renewing resources, like that tree planted by streams of water (I don’t think we can envision that wonderful word picture too many times)—producing spiritual fruit, with wholesome health and a hope for the future, of more fruit in His Kingdom.

And I don’t mind that this way of living life and being blessed by God in this “way of the righteous” (the Psalm continues for three more verses if you want to read the other half about the outcome for “the way of … the wicked”) holds the outlook that “In all he does, he prospers.” That would be nice, too.

God’s economy is just sometimes a little different—transformed and renewed, I suppose you could say—than the one we might think of off-hand and at first. Nonetheless (and, in truth, even more so), “In all he does, he prospers” still sounds good.

I’ve got a few favorites marked in the Psalms, so we’ll probably get more Scripture from this book in the future, but one should be added now, since it is so on topic: Psalm 92: 12-15, which reads: “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

I have Psalm 92 favorited because of coming across it in some book or podcast or something that I cannot quite recall at the moment but was struck with how “ever full of sap and green” is written in a different version. I have a note that reads: “THE MESSAGE says lithe and green.”

I like that image of being lithe even in my old age. Heck, I like the idea of being lithe even now. I’d love if that were the case. I’m working on it: in my body and in being in God’s Word.

For your current body try the book, Becoming a Supple Leopard. For your future self and soul, stay in the Scriptures.

Have a happy Sunday.

 

—Billy

Reading. Writing. Lithing.

 

P.S. Synonym for lithe in the thesaurus: supple. And vice versa, of course. I’ve just started reading Becoming a Supple Leopard (which comes highly recommended), but maybe I should flip the S and the L and write a book called Becoming a Lithe Soul. Isn’t that great, being planted by streams of water and in old age being ever lithe and green, a supple soul?