Friday Devotional:

Psalm 1

Psalm 1 is called a "wisdom psalm." These psalms teach how to live a wise and righteous life, faithful to God. They tend to make sharp distinctions: People who trust in God thrive like trees near reliable water sources. People who rely on the world's ways are like dead leaves because they are far from God. Psalm 1 portrays us as one or the other, as if the line is clear.

But what if we are both? Martin Luther talks about Christians as simultaneously saint and sinner, righteous and self-centered; not just one now and the other later, but both at the same time. We have mixed motives. We can turn our faith life into something that makes us feel superior to other people. Our best intentions can backfire. Above all, Luther teaches that while sin remains very real and beyond our ability to fix, Jesus' righteousness makes us-even now-right with God. Then Jesus' gracious forgiveness turns us from unfaithful living to selfless love and service.

God, thank you for planting me by Jesus, the living water, so I may flourish through him. Amen.

An excerpt from Christ in Our Home

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