“Delight finds great satisfaction, pleasure, and joy in meditating on and obeying God’s truth.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – November 20, 2023
The trees of the Lord are full of sap. Psalm 104:16
Sapped by the Spirit, not zapped, though sometimes I need a zap! Tree sap is the lifeblood of a tree. Made up of minerals and nutrients, sap carries life-giving energy to the branches and buds that bloom in the springtime. Sap is also the sticky substance that is drizzled over pancakes. Some sugar maple trees produce up to 15 gallons of maple syrup annually. The biblical imagery of the blessed and righteous is like a tree planted by the waters and bearing fruit in due season. Majestically, one of the divine portraits in nature is how to grow in the Lord’s strength and love:
“His delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law, he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree. Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:2-3).
Scripture applied to a life by the discernment and wisdom of the Holy Spirit is the sap of the Lord that brings life to a life surrendered to Jesus Christ. Blessed are those who delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on God’s truths when awake during the day and asleep during the night. The Holy Spirit instructs a conscious and unconscious mind in why His ways matter most, what His ways look like, and how to follow His ways in a way that honors Him.
What does it mean for you to delight in the law of the Lord? Delight finds great satisfaction, pleasure, and joy in meditating on and obeying God’s truth. Similar to other life experiences in which you find great delight, so is feasting on the Scriptures. Like an unhurried, delicious meal full of mouth-watering tastes and scrumptious smells as you anticipate the uniqueness and yumminess of each course. Like the comfort and praise of a Psalm, the wisdom of a Proverb, the inspiration of a Gospel, the instruction of an Epistle, the biography of Ruth, David, Esther, or Joseph. The Bible is an ongoing mini-series to binge-watch or to slowly delight in, always discovering new insights and truths that set you free to love and be loved. Delight and find life. Invite the life-giving sap of Scripture to saturate and enliven every aspect of your beloved being.
Charles Spurgeon sums up the imagery of the sap of the Spirit energizing a believer:
Our root is Christ Jesus, and our life is hid in him; this is the secret of the Lord. The radix of the Christian life is as secret as the life itself. How permanently active is the sap in the cedar! In the Christian, the divine life is always full of energy—not always in fruit-bearing, but in inward operations. The believer’s graces are not every one of them in constant motion, but his life never ceases to palpitate within. He is not always working for God, but his heart is always living upon him. As the sap manifests itself in producing the foliage and fruit of the tree, so with a truly healthy Christian, his grace is externally manifested in his walk and conversation. If you talk with him, he cannot help speaking about Jesus. If you notice his actions, you will see that he has been with Jesus. He has so much sap within that it must fill his conduct and conversation with life.
As the sap quietly makes its way throughout the tree, bringing life to every part it makes contact with, so the work of the Spirit quietly yet impactfully seeks to bring life to every inch of a believer’s being. Let the sweet sap of the Spirit flow through your life as you bear yummy fruit!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I surrender to your life-giving power through the Holy Spirit and through Christ’s love and in Jesus’ name.
Application
Which fruit of the Spirit do you aspire for the Lord to manifest in your life? Consider the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
Related Reading
Joshua 24:26; Psalm 52:8; Proverbs 3:18, 11:30; John 15
Worship Resource
Brooke Ligertwood: Bless God / Every Chance I Get
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