Psalm 1 is one of  my favorites, giving very clear direction on how to be successful as God defines it. It tells what to avoid and what to do, leading to “and whatever he does will prosper.”

What are these directions?

1 Avoid the counsel of  the ungodly, including our own hearts!

2. Don’t stand in the way of sinners, watching and envying them.
3. Don’t sit in the seat of the scornful, noting, rejecting our tendency to be critical

The positive ones:

1. Delight in God’s Word
2. Meditate on it day and night.

I am so thankful for my mentor who taught me early on about memorizing and meditating on Scripture. And, following his advice, the first one I memorized was Psalm 1!

So what are the results of avoiding the 3 negatives and implementing the 2 positives?

1. We will be able to consistently draw on the water of the Word.
2. No matter what comes, our leaves will stay green and fresh.
3. We will bear fruit when it is needed: the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of our lips, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, the fruit of good works, the fruit of influencing others to believe
4. And whatever we do in implementing all the above will prosper.

One place where the “whatever you do will prosper” showed up in our boys. We made plenty of mistakes in our parenting, but in spite of this, God worked in their lives and brought them to good places. We cannot take credit for this outcome, except for obeying Psalm 1 and seeing God fulfill his promises. We are thankful.

Picture: little Nat with his local friend; we called them chocolate and vanilla.