By The Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read Psalm 1:1-3

The Rev. Ron Purkey

“His delight is in the law of the LORD …” (Psalm 1:2)

It’s a person who is separated from the world (Psalm 1:1). The Christian life is compared to a walk (see Ephesians 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15). It begins with a step of faith in trusting Christ and it grows as we take further steps of faith in obedience to his word.

Walking involves progress, and Christians are to make progress in applying Bible truths to daily life. But it is possible for the believer to walk “in the darkness,” outside the will of God (1 John 1:5-7). The people God blesses are careful in their walk; though they are in the world, they are not of the world.

By contrast, it takes little imagination to see the person walking near sin, then standing to consider it and finally sitting down to enjoy “the pleasures of sin for a season.” (Hebrews 11:25)

It’s a person who is saturated with the Word (Psalm 1:2). Those whom God blesses are not delighted with what pertains to sin and the world; they delight in the word of God. It is love for and obedience to the Bible that bring blessing on our lives. See Joshua 1:8.

The people God blesses not only read the word of God daily, but they study it, memorize it and meditate on it during the day and night. Their mind is controlled by the word. Because of this, they are led by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit.

Meditation is to the soul what “digestion” is to the body. It means understanding the Word, “chewing on it” and applying it to our lives, making it a part of the inner person.

It’s a person who is situated by the waters (Psalm 1:3). Water for drinking is a picture of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39). The Christian is here compared to a tree that gets its water from the deep hidden springs under the dry sands.

This world is a desert that can never satisfy the dedicated believer. We must send our “spiritual roots” down deep into the things of Christ and draw upon the spiritual water of life. See Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 92:12-14.

There can be no fruit without roots. Unless Christians spend time daily in prayer and the word and allow the Spirit to feed them, they will wither and die.

The believer who draws upon the spiritual life in Christ will be fruitful and successful in the life of faith. When Christians cease to bear fruit, it is because something has happened to the roots (Mark 11:12-13, 20; and see Luke 13:6-9).

What kind of fruit are we to bear? See Romans 1:13 and 6:22, Galatians 5:22-23, Hebrews 13:15, and Colossians 1:10.

Of course, the perfect example of this godly person in Psalm 1:1-3 is Jesus Christ. He is the way (Psalm 1:1), the truth (Psalm 1:2) and the life (Psalm 1:3); see John 14:6.

Read Ron Purkey’s Bible study outlines free at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.