#JournalYourFaith: Uncover god’s Truths Through Bible Journaling Psalm One
Bible journaling is an innovative and creative way to deepen your knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. When we look at the powerful words of Psalm One (only 6 verses) you can dive deep into the Word and uncover ultimate truths for your everyday life as well as discover how to live as a Christian.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers”
What is the author talking about in verse one with walking, standing and sitting in the company of mockers?
Let’s take a look at the life of Peter from the New Testament.
Peter walked with Christ as one of his followers but when Jesus was arrested, where did Peter go?
“It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.” John 18:18
“And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.” (Luke 22:55) Peter denied that he even knew Jesus three times just as Jesus had told him.
Amazing to connect the Old Testament to the New Testament!
If we are walking in the path of sinners, then we are going the wrong direction. We are following our path and not God’s. If we remain still, standing or sitting, we are never moving forward. We need to follow God’s path so that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit who will guide us.
Jane Johnson who is a Bible teacher and writer wrote “The walking and standing are now a dwelling place. Just forward the mail and file a change of address because this place is now home.”
I pray that I’m never content in sitting in the company of mockers.
“But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. ”
According to a blog post, here’s “What we need to know about tree roots”
“A Tree’s roots serve two important functions: They anchor the tree in the soil so that its photosynthesizing parts (the leaves) are elevated and exposed to the sun; and the absorbing roots also take up the water and minerals that the tree uses to make carbohydrates for food and proteins for everything else. (Roots also must absorb oxygen, necessary for their own respiration and growth.)
Some trees have an elongated taproot where the root grows straight down to draw water and minerals from deeper soils. A tap root is better at holding the tree in place in windy locations or in loose sandy soils, too. Other trees have a spreading network of fibrous roots that absorb water and minerals from near the surface. A diffuse, fibrous root system occupies a large volume of soil close to the surface, and helps to control erosion. Either way, microscopic root hairs fan out from the principal roots, greatly increasing the surface area available for absorption. It is these minute root hairs (in combination with symbiotic fungi) that do the actual absorbing of mineral salts and water.”
About 20 years ago, we planted two trees in our backyard. The roots on the trees were on the surface and after a few years, they just were not healthy. I don’t want my roots to just grow on the surface like the trees in our backyard. We’d stumble and trip over the roots all the time. When we finally cut the trees down, the roots left large grooves in the yard. I want my roots to grow deep into God’s soil of grace and mercy. I want to understand His scriptures and dive daily into His Word.
Jane Johnson wrote “It’s a simple statement bobbing on the surface of Psalm One. Take a minute to put a snorkel mask on and put your face in the water. Because you might not know it on the surface, but there’s an entire reef right below and the life teeming within it is about to blow your mind!”
The ungodly have no roots, they are like chaff. This reminds me of a dandelion. I remember as a kid, plucking one up from the ground and blowing away the the white pieces of the dandelion (I’m really not sure what they are called…petals or leaves?) and watching them fly away. That’s what it’s like to be a sinner. The godly have deep-roots and they bear fruit. I want to be strong in my faith, so that when difficulties come (and they will), my faith isn’t just blown away in the wind like a dandelion (chaff).
“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 leads to destruction.”
Five Things That I discovered from Psalm 1:
I don’t want to “walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers”. (verse 1)
I want to be like the tree planted by the streams and soak of the “living water” of God. (verse 3)
I don’t want to look at the Word of God on the surface. I want to dive deep into God’s Word.
I don’t want to be like a dandelion that gets blown and scattered in the wind. (verse 4)
I want to “dig deep” daily into God’s Word.
I hope that I have inspired you to Bible Journal Psalm One. As I was writing this blog post, I thought of a few more ideas.
Maybe a drawing of a Bible with the word “Meditate” across it.
A Change of Address Form with an X marked through it.
A dandelion. You can do this really easy with a rolled up toilet paper roll, a rubber band and acrylic paint.
A directional sign that says “Our Way” or “God’s Way”.
What creative ideas do you get when you read Psalm One? I pray that you will meditate on the Word of the Lord and allow Him to speak to you and give you insight into Psalm One. As the Psalmist says “Blessed is the one that delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night” (Psalm 1:2) I have found that Bible Journaling is the perfect way for me to meditate on the Word of God and discover how He calls me to live each and every day.
If you would like a copy of my journaling cards for Psalm One - check out the FREEBIE section.
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