Do you want to prosper?

Psalm 1 is one of my favorite scriptures. It's short, sweet, and to the point and offers those who follow God one of the greatest promises for this life. First it offers a condition or a command, then it offers a promise if the condition is met. Here's the first three verses:

First, the condition

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

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Now the Promise

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,

whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

The Exhortation in today's English:

Don't hang out with people who hate God and disobey Him

Stay in the Word of God, reading it, meditating on it, constantly be thinking about it

The Promise in today's English:

You shall be successful in all that you do

Wow! What a promise!

Many people translate "Prosper" in that verse to mean financial success, but I looked up the word Prosper in the dictionary and it means "To be successful, to thrive, to flourish; sometimes in the financial sense." God doesn't care so much whether we accumulate alot of wealth. In fact, the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.

He who trusts in his riches will fall (Prov 11:28)

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches (Prov 22:1)

A man with an evil eye hastens after riches (Prov 28:22)

Then I thought of the disciples and Jesus Himself and none of them were rich. Most didn't even have a place to call home. Some only had the clothes on their back. And surely these disciples meditated on the Word of God and didn't consort with the wicked. They met the conditions, didn't they? So what happened?
But would you say they were successful men? Would you say they accomplished what they set out to do? Remember, it was by this handful of common men that the Roman Empire was brought to its knees and the Gospel of Jesus was spread to the four corners of the known world. I would say that yes, their lives were extremely successful. They thrived at what they did. They flourished. They led victorious lives.

Now, I ask you, would you rather be rich or lead a victorious life?

For me, I'd much rather be victorious. Money is fleeting. Riches can be destroyed in an instant and do not bring true happiness. But being victorious in what you do for God lasts forever! Do you want to make a difference in this world? Do you want your life to mean something for all eternity? The formula is laid out quite simply for you in Psalm 1.

Jesus even made it simpler when asked what was the most important commandment. He answered in Mark 12: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

Do this and you will live, Jesus said. And when He said "live" I believe he meant that "abundant life" he spoke about in John 10:10. Not riches, not lots of things, but a full, meaningful, victorious life!

And whatever he does shall prosper!!!

May Psalm 1 be your guiding light for the new year.