“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” (Psalm 1:4)
“Not so the wicked!” As Christians, we believe in a real, literal hell where those who reject faith in Christ will spend eternity apart from God. Such a fate is too horrible to even imagine.
But today’s verse could also describe the state of those who reject God in this life, right now. If we are not connected to the source of all of life, light, wisdom, beauty, and good things – we are not connected to anything, at all. We are disconnected and adrift in the wind.
The wicked – the God-rejecters – are spiritually dead, as the New Testament explains to us. They are not planted and watered and alive and receiving nutrients. They are empty husks, destined for the fire.
By the grace and power of God, faith in Jesus transforms the wicked (all of us) into those credited with Jesus’ righteousness. He transforms the dead things into the living trees planted by the water. He brings us to life. (See Ephesians 2:1-10.)
Think: In your own words, how would you describe the difference between being spiritually dead and spiritually alive in Christ?
Pray: As a Christian, thank God for making you alive and connected to him through your faith in Jesus.
Do: Read how dead people come to life and get connected to God in Ephesians 2:1-10.