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Psalm 1 opens with a choice. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” The blessed life begins not only with what we choose to do, but also with what we deliberately refuse to become part of. There is a progression in the Psalm – walking, standing and finally sitting – that warns us how easily the thinking of the world can gradually become comfortable and familiar. Whether it is the conversation around the workplace lunch table, the voices shaping us through social media or simply the temptation to follow the popular path, Psalm 1 calls us towards another road. Jesus would later speak about the narrow way. Following Christ requires deliberate choices about whose counsel we receive, what influences our thinking and which path we are prepared to walk.
Verse 2 then turns from what the blessed person avoids to what he actively pursues: “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” This is more than occasionally reading a Bible verse because we feel that we should. To delight in God’s Word is to increasingly value it, think about it and allow it to reshape the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. Jesus did not dismiss the Law and the Prophets, but fulfilled them and revealed their true heart – love for God and love for our neighbour. For the believer, Scripture is therefore not simply information to collect. It is God’s revealed truth, given to teach, correct and form us as we learn to live in Christ.
Psalm 1 then gives us the result: the person who lives this way becomes “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season”. That picture appears repeatedly throughout the New Testament. Jesus speaks of good soil receiving the Word and producing fruit, of His disciples being appointed to bear fruit, and of living water springing up into everlasting life. Fruitfulness is not produced by frantically trying to make ourselves appear spiritual. Healthy fruit grows from healthy roots. We become stable and fruitful as we remain connected to Christ, receive His Word, pray, worship, learn alongside other believers and allow the Lord to cultivate the soil around our lives.
That gives us three simple foundations for a Christ-centred life: choose the right path, delight in God’s Word, and get deeply planted. The goal is not perfection overnight. There may be days when our Bible remains unopened, or our attention wanders, but God’s mercy gives us another morning to begin again. The important thing is the direction in which our roots are growing. Psalm 1 invites us away from a shallow life shaped by whatever voices happen to surround us and towards a life grounded in the truth of God. As those roots deepen, stability grows, fruit appears, and we increasingly become the men and women Christ is forming us to be.
The three pillars come directly from Psalm 1:1-3:
1. Choose the right path – Psalm 1:1
Do not simply move with the crowd. Exercise discernment about the voices, attitudes and influences shaping your life, and deliberately choose the way of Christ.
2. Delight in God’s Word – Psalm 1:2
Scripture is not meant to remain at the edges of Christian life. Read it, think upon it, ask questions and allow it to renew the heart and mind.
3. Get planted and bear fruit – Psalm 1:3
Deep roots produce stability and fruitfulness. Connection with Christ, His Word and His people helps cultivate a faith that continues through every season.
The practical summary from the teaching is particularly useful:
Know what to avoid. Know what to pursue. Then keep doing it consistently.
Take some time this week to read Psalm 1:1-3 slowly each day. Ask yourself what voices are influencing the path you walk, whether God’s Word has genuinely become something you delight in, and where your spiritual roots are currently growing. Then choose one practical step that will help you become more deeply planted in Christ and His Word.
