Reflection

“Sign up for our seminar to learn the secret to becoming a millionaire in just 12 months!” Whether you want to become healthy, wealthy or wise, it seems there’s no end of self-help gurus out there to help you to become a “better and more successful version of you”. Yet we never seem to hear of a guru promoting a seminar to help you to become the best supporter of your local community you can be! It seems that self-interest wins hands down.

What a contrast it is, then, to flourish in the Lord, in which our thriving blesses others. In today’s passage, the Psalmist depicts the cedars of Lebanon as part of a rich ecology. It’s not just the trees growing strong for their own sake – rather, they provide a haven for other species to live, grow and thrive. Likewise, when we are “planted in the Lord,” God’s love, compassion and mercy flow through us to benefit others.

Question

How is God’s work in your life flowing on to others in your family, church or community?

Prayer

Loving God, challenge me today to keep you in the centre of my life so that I can draw on your strength and love to bless others. Through your Holy Spirit, make me sensitive to the needs of others and to the response you would have me make. In Jesus’ name, Amen.