Jun 18, 2021 The Healthy Christian – Words of Grace – June 18, 2021
God has graciously given us his thoughts in language that we can understand. He has created us with the amazing and helpful ability to read, reason, and make comparison. In literature we use simile to stir the mind’s imagination to get at the nature of things. God has spoken in this way to show us his vision for our lives.
Through the poetry of Psalm 1, we come to see what God intends us for us to be. Here we read of a tree, planted by streams of water, that yields its seasonal fruit and that keeps its green leaves year around.
Psalm 1:1 first speaks of a representative man. He is blessed by God. This man is any person who walks, stand, and sits with God rather than in sin. The people represented by this man delight in the law (whole counsel) of God, mediating on it and being shaped and guided by it.
Then, the psalm says this man and those he represents are like a tree, fully alive and giving life to others.
In the mind of God, we are like this tree. By the work of Christ on the cross, we have become like this tree. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit leading us to obey God’s word, we are becoming like this tree. This is God’s vision for our lives.
What do you see for yourself? Do you understand that if you are a Christian it is because God has planted you in the soil of his grace, and that now you are being nourished by his word each day as the Spirit leads you in God’s ways? Can you envision yourself growing in grace and yielding the good fruit of the Spirit in daily obedience and good works? Do you believe that your life can be life-giving to others who are on the receiving end of your words and deeds?
Jesus died to make you this kind of person. The Holy Spirit is working now for that same purpose. This is the Father’s vision for your life. So, make it yours.
This Sunday we will begin a two-part series on the mission of Grace Community Church. Our mission is to pursue God’s vision for our lives and our congregation. We will begin with Psalm 1 and focus on what it means to become, like a tree, healthy and fruit-bearing for the glory of God.
Take some time this weekend to read Psalm 1 and to pray for our congregation.
Remember, we are on new summer schedule at Grace. Join us at 9:00 for Sunday School and Bible study for all ages, at 10:00 for connection over coffee and tea in the Gathering Hall, and at 10:30 for worship.
-Scott