“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; They shall be fat and flourishing; To show that the LORD is upright: He is my rock, And there is no unrighteousness in him.” Psalm 92:12-15 KJV
Happy new month, dear, and welcome to your month to flourish. Yes, you will flourish because you are born to do so. Flourishing is in your DNA as a righteous child of God. But what does it mean to flourish?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “flourish” (verb) means to grow or develop successfully. So your season of growth and successful development is here. “Flourish” also means to be successful, for example, by making a lot of money or developing quickly. As a noun, “flourish” means a big, noticeable movement. What does this mean to you and me? It is time for you to make that big, noticeable progressive movement in every facet of your life. If the Bible says the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, we can interpret it as the righteous growing and developing successfully like a palm tree. However, there may be a need for you to understand briefly how a palm tree grows. Let’s take a look.
The palm tree is known as one of the evergreen plants that grow steadily and progressively. It grows very tall, and as it does, every part of it, from the root to the shoot, becomes useful. No part of it is wasted. The palm nut, kernels, fronds, shafts, leaves, trunk, etc., are all useful as the palm tree flourishes.
From the above Bible passage, the growth of the righteous is compared to that of a palm tree. What we can deduce from this is that God is counting on us to be useful to Him as well as to mankind as He graciously causes us to flourish and bless us. I trust that you will not fail Him, particularly in this new month.
Another paramount question that one can ask from the above passage is: who is righteous? The Bible answers this in 1 John 2:1 KJV:
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
As disciples of Christ, we derive our righteousness from Him. Our righteousness is the righteousness of God through faith in Christ. It is written, “and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9 KJV).
Do you have faith in God? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His son? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If yes, congratulations. You are righteous. But if not, you are hereby called to action to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, repent of your sins, and turn from your evil ways. Embrace the righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will continue to rest and abide with you.
Once again, happy new month. It’s our season to flourish. You and your family will flourish to the glory and praise of the Most High God.
Stay blessed.
Pastor Joseph
RCCG CKC
1-4120 Steeles Avenue West
Woodbridge ON
L4L 4V2