Read
Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Reflect
Everyone wants a flourishing life. We want to be happy. We want our relationships to be healthy. We want our work to matter. We want our children and friends to do well. We want our lives to become something good.

Psalm 1 asks an important question: Who gets to tell us what the flourishing life is?

The psalm describes two different ways of living. One person listens to the “counsel of the wicked.” The other delights in the instruction of the Lord. Both are listening to something. Both are learning what to love. Both are being formed into a particular kind of person.

That's happening to us too. The things we repeatedly listen to shape the way we think. The way we think shapes the way we live. And the way we repeatedly live shapes who we become.

God doesn't give us his Word to keep us from flourishing. He gives us his Word because he created us and knows what we were made to be. His instruction teaches us what is true, what is good, and what it means to become fully human.

That's why the flourishing person doesn't just obey God's Word. Psalm 1 says they delight in it. They're learning to see God's way as beautiful and good.

We are all being formed. The question is: What is forming us?

Discuss

• What are some things people around us say we need in order to have a good life?
• What do you think it means to “delight” in God's Word instead of simply obeying it?
• What is one voice or influence that shapes the way you think about what will make you happy?

Pray
Father, you created us and know what we were made to be. Forgive us for listening to other voices that promise us a good life apart from you. By your Spirit, teach us to delight in your Word and to trust that your will and your ways are good. Form us into the people you created us to be, and make our lives fruitful for the good of others. Amen.

Read
Psalm 1:1-2

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Reflect
Notice the movement in the first verse of Psalm 1: walk, stand, sit. At first, the person is walking according to someone's advice. Then he stops and stands in a particular way. Eventually he sits down and settles there. That's a picture of formation.

The things we repeatedly listen to eventually shape how we live. And how we repeatedly live eventually shapes who we become. None of us can avoid being formed. The question is what kind of person we're becoming.

That's why verse 2 talks about delight. The flourishing person doesn't simply avoid bad influences. He learns to love what God loves. God's Word begins to shape not only his behavior but also his desires.

Following Jesus isn't simply about learning which things Christians should and shouldn't do. Jesus is changing us from the inside out. By his Spirit, he is teaching us to desire what is good, beautiful, and true. Over time, what fills our hearts takes shape in our lives.

Discuss

• Why do you think Psalm 1 moves from walking, to standing, to sitting?
• What is something you do regularly that is shaping the kind of person you're becoming?
• What's the difference between doing what God says and actually learning to love what God loves?

Pray
Holy Spirit, show us the things that are forming us. Forgive us when we settle into ways of thinking and living that lead us away from you. Change not only what we do but what we love. Give us hearts that increasingly delight in what is good, beautiful, and true. Amen.

Read
Psalm 1:2-3

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Reflect
The flourishing person in Psalm 1 is like a tree planted beside streams of water. Trees experience changing seasons. There are times when they are covered with leaves and fruit and times when their branches look bare. They endure heat, cold, wind, and storms. But the tree in Psalm 1 has something that doesn't change: its source.
Its roots have access to water.

We often judge whether we're flourishing by looking at our circumstances. When school is going well, everyone is getting along, we're healthy, and life feels easy, we assume things are good. When life becomes difficult, we can wonder whether something has gone wrong.

Psalm 1 gives us a better way to think. Your season doesn't determine whether you're flourishing. Your source does.
A difficult season doesn't mean God has abandoned you. And an easy season doesn't necessarily mean you're deeply rooted in him. The important question is where your roots are reaching for life.

Discuss

• What are some different “seasons” a person or family might experience?
• Why might a healthy tree sometimes look unhealthy during winter?
• Where do you tend to look for life, strength, or security when things become difficult?

Pray
Father, thank you that you remain faithful through every season of our lives. When life is difficult, keep us from believing that you have abandoned us. When life is easy, keep us from believing that we don't need you. Plant us deeply in Christ and nourish us through your Word and Spirit. Amen.

Read
Psalm 1:3

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Reflect
The tree in Psalm 1 doesn't only survive. It “yields its fruit in its season.” Fruit is one of the signs that a tree is alive and healthy. But here's something else about fruit: trees don't eat their own fruit. Their fruit becomes life for someone else.

That's an important part of biblical flourishing. God isn't forming us into healthy, whole people simply so that we can enjoy better lives for ourselves. As God changes us, our lives increasingly become a blessing to other people.

A flourishing parent becomes a source of life to a family. A flourishing friend becomes a source of encouragement and faithfulness. A flourishing church becomes a source of blessing to its community.

And the fruit won't always look the same. Different seasons produce different kinds of faithfulness. Sometimes fruit looks like generosity or hospitality. Sometimes it looks like courage. Sometimes it looks like repentance, patience, or simply continuing to trust God when life is hard.

Don't demand summer fruit in the middle of a winter season. Instead ask: What kind of fruit might God want to produce through me right now?
Discuss

• Why do you think God wants our flourishing to benefit other people?
• Who benefits when you are becoming more patient, generous, courageous, or loving?
• What kind of “fruit” might God be producing in you during your present season?

Pray
Lord, thank you that you don't simply give us life for ourselves. Produce good fruit in us for the blessing of others. Show us the people you have placed around us to love and serve. Help us trust you to produce the right fruit in the right season. Amen.

Read
Psalm 1:4-6

4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Reflect
Sometimes it's difficult to tell which life is really flourishing.
A tree can look dead during winter even though its roots are alive. And chaff is green while the grain is growing. For a time, the person who ignores God may seem to have everything anyone could want, while someone who trusts God may suffer terribly. So how can we know which road really leads to life? We have to see where it ends.

Psalm 1 says the wicked will not stand in the judgment, but the Lord knows the way of the righteous. That creates a problem for us. Who among us has perfectly lived the life Psalm 1 describes? Who has always rejected wicked counsel, always delighted in God's Word, and always lived according to God's ways?

None of us.

But there is a Psalm 1 man.

Jesus perfectly trusted his Father. He perfectly delighted in his Father's will. He is the truly flourishing human being - the person humanity was always created to be.

Our hope isn't that we'll make ourselves into the righteous person of Psalm 1. Our hope is that we belong to Jesus. United to him, his righteousness is ours, and his Spirit is forming us into the people God created us to be.

There is only one truly flourishing road. And Jesus says, “I am the way.”

Discuss

• Why can appearances sometimes make it difficult to tell which life is really flourishing?
• Why can't any of us claim to be the perfectly righteous person Psalm 1 describes?
• What difference does it make that our hope is in Jesus rather than our ability to make ourselves righteous?

Pray
Jesus, you are the truly righteous and flourishing One. Thank you that our hope doesn't rest in our ability to make ourselves righteous, but in your righteousness given to us. Keep us rooted in you. By your Spirit, form us into the people we were created to be and lead us in the way that ends in life. Amen.