Where We Belong

Cherie LaLanne
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PRINCIPLES OF FAITH

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21

No matter what detour we take from the path we are supposed to follow, Holy Spirit remains as our internal and eternal compass, guiding and rescuing us. We must be tuned into His voice along the way.

The Book of Psalms begins with the word blessed, which is an apropos opening note in this scriptural symphony. One cannot walk away from the book without being blessed by the Lord in some form or fashion.

This first Psalm goes on to describe God's blessing as belonging to the man who doesn't mingle with the wicked but who frequently finds himself in "the Law of the Lord." Next, the Psalm paints one of the most powerful and poignant pictures in the entire Bible.

It compares the man who reads the Scriptures with a tree that's planted on the banks of a free-flowing river:

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. (Psalm 1:3 NKJV)

Just as a tree requires water in order to flourish and thrive, men and women need the Scriptures in order to enjoy fruitful and abundant lives. Trees were made to know water, and we were made to know God's Word. When either is deprived of their natural need, they fall way short of what they were intended to be and do. 

They whither and wilt, their branches become bare, they provide no shade for the weary, and have no fruit to offer others. But as they begin to drink their intended life-source, their roots become sturdy and secure. Their boughs and branches grow long and strong until...fruit!

The natural tree is truly a picture of the spiritual man. Our fruitfulness depends upon our being rooted in the Word.

Lord, help us in every possible way to be people who are permanently planted in your Scriptures, which is where we belong.