October 8 - Love for the Word

2 But he delights in the LORD’s instruction and meditates in his instruction day and night.3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither. He will prosper in everything he does.

When you drive between Phoenix and Wickenburg during the summer you will come to a stretch of the Hassayampa river, just outside Wickenburg, that is thick with cottonwood trees. These trees are situated on either side of the Hassayampa, and their leaves remain lush and green all summer long. Despite daily temperatures that have reached 118.9 degrees (Weatherspark.com July 20, 2023) these trees remain healthy, in truth, they thrive. However, 300 feet from the middle of the Hassayampa, this lush oasis ends and only desert scrub, cactus and mesquite trees remain. The change is not gradual or subtle. The trees whose roots reach deep in the nutrient rich soil of the Hassayampa thrive while the plants a short distance away merely eke out an existence. If we have a love for the Word of God, we will bury our spiritual roots in the living spring of the Bible. Just as it is not enough for the desert plants to merely be within sight of the river to gain its benefit, God’s Word must be devoured, meditated upon and allowed to bring life to every corner of our being. Those trees are not satisfied to sip from the river for an hour, one day a week. To thrive they will partake greedily from that river every minute of every day. The Beauty of the Hassayampa is not so much the trees, it’s the fact that the river never lets those trees down. God’s Word will never let you down, each time you drink from that precious, living Word you will come away refreshed, restored and thriving.

Psalm 103 Thank God for all His Blessings