April 3
April 3
Psalm 37:35–40
Your Roots
As David finished Psalm 37, he described two kinds of people and what would happen to them. First, he described the powerful. “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more . . . he could not be found” (vv. 35–36). The powerful are rooted in this world. They are like a tree that looks strong and stable. One day a storm comes and blows the tree over. It is then cut up for kindling and is gone. If you are rooted in this world, you have no security, for everything here is temporary. But if you are rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ, your life has the permanence of eternity. Don’t envy the powerful or those whose names are blazoned abroad. Don’t worry about what happens to this crowd. God tells us what happens: They could not be found; they’re gone. But “he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). That’s why it’s important to live for the Lord.
Second, David described the perfect person. “Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace” (v. 37). The future of the powerful is destruction; the future of the perfect is peace. The word perfect doesn’t mean “sinless.” Nobody is sinless. Instead, David meant the sincere person, the wholehearted person, the person who practices Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” When we are perfect in Christ, accepted in the Beloved One, we have peace, we have strength, and we have God’s salvation. “And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him” (v. 40). Today, don’t walk by sight, looking at the native green tree. Walk by faith. Be perfect in the Lord, and He’ll bless you.
Our spiritual root system is important to our spiritual well-being. Where we send our roots will determine which resources we will draw from. Are you rooted in the world or in Jesus Christ? Are you living by faith or sight? Trust in the resources you have in Christ and grow in His grace.