The Seasons of a Christian's Life

"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 meditates 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" (Psalm 1:1-3).

As I read this Psalm, I noticed a phrase that I had not paid any attention to in the past: "yields its fruit in its season".

As I was considering those words, I thought about the pecan tree in our back yard. Every fall, we spend the months of October through December picking up pecans. In most years, we pick up hundreds of pecans from our one tree.

However, our tree does not produce pecans for us to harvest throughout most of the year. During the winter months, it is dormant. It rests. It survives the cold, the wind, the snow, the freezing rain, the hail, the sleet, and the ice. It does what it needs to do, but it does not produce.

In the spring and summer, our tree starts to grow. Leafs bud. Branches develop and expand. Pecans begin to develop. It starts to produce its fruit, but the pecans are not ready for the harvest. It still does what it needs to do, but we do not enjoy its fruit yet.

Finally, in the fall, our tree begins to give us its fruit. We are able to pick up the pecans and enjoy them.

A believer's life, according to Psalm 1, is much like our pecan tree. He avoids evil, loves God's law, thinks about the meaning and application of the Lord's words throughout his day, and lives his life according to his understanding of the Lord's message. He will go through seasons in which he is doing everything right; but like the tree in winter, he is not productive in yielding fruit. He will go through seasons in which he is developing; but like the tree in spring and summer, the fruit is not ready to be harvested and enjoyed. He will go through seasons of great productivity; and like the tree in fall, the fruit of his life has matured and has become available to be shared and enjoyed by others.

If you are a Christian who feels down because your life does not seem productive at the moment, you are not alone. We all go through it. It's biblical. Just keep avoiding evil, loving God's law, thinking about the meaning and application of the Lord's words throughout your day, and living according to your developing understanding of the Lord's message. Then someday, you will enter a season of fruitfulness, a season of harvesting as you bless many people around you. And the cycle will begin again.

The Blessed Life

"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

"Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

"For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1:1-6).

Delighting in the law (or instructions) of the Lord and meditating on it produces a blessed life. It makes one stable, strong, and productive like a tree which bears fruit for the benefit of others near streams of water in an otherwise dry environment.

Choosing the other course creates instability in one's life. One becomes fidgety and anxious...always walking, standing, and sitting. Such a person looks for counsel and approval among the wicked, sinners, and mockers. As a result, he lacks the substance of faith and character to withstand the winds of life and the judgment of God. He is useless to everyone.

As the new year begins, I want to concentrate on cultivating a delight in the law and instructions of the Lord. I want to practice meditating on those instructions so that I may be able to bless the lives of the people around me.