Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
Psalm 1:1-3

Dear God, my wife and I were driving the other day and she noticed a cypress tree in someone’s yard. She remarked how good it looked even though it wasn’t by a river–where we usually see cypress trees. Obviously, that tree has access to water from somewhere.

What do I do to make sure I have access to enough water? The psalmist here has some thoughts on both what to do and what to NOT do:

• NOT do: follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

Do: delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

So am I doing enough to guard my heart against being wicked? Do I join with mockers? Do I NOT love? Or do I delight in your law? Do I follow it? It reminds me of the teaching the exhorts is to follow your laws because you designed them for our joy and peace, not just to arbitrarily give us laws to follow.

Father, one of the fruits of the Spirit is the “joy” that the psalmist refers to here, and the way to cultivate the soil of my heart (or at least one of the ways) is to simply avoid evil and mockery and embrace your commands. Help me to be mindful of both of those facts as I go through this day.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen