A Life That Bears Fruit

“Blessed is the person who does not follow the counsel of the ungodly” — Psalm 1:1.

Three things stand out in this person’s life:

1. His company. “He does not follow the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners, or sit among scoffers.”

2. What he reads and reflects on. “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on it day and night.”

3. His fruitfulness. “He will be like a tree planted beside streams of water, bearing fruit in its season. Its leaf does not wither, and whatever he does will prosper.”

The river represents the Holy Spirit. The planting of the tree pictures a deeply rooted, abiding life in which we draw from the Holy Spirit continually, rather than only from time to time. The fruit, too, is not occasional but continuous, suited to each changing season.

This person’s life prospers, and his spirit remains fresh, like a leaf that does not wither. Such a life must be happy. Happiness, indeed, depends on the condition of our spirit. Let a sunbeam into a cellar, and it will become bright. Place a nightingale in the deepest darkness of the night, and it will still sing.