Friday Feb 13, 2026

THE EVERGREEN LIFE

¹ Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

² but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1:1–3 (ESV)

Someone once said to me that she doesn’t think we need to serve God because of our needs. I thought of it and begun to ask myself this question. How then do I speak to an unbeliever to forsake their ways and turn to God? What testimony about my life is evidential that truly this God that I speak of is faithful to me? Then I concluded that, it is easy to take that position when things are better or ok for you, but for someone who is desperate about life, and is being battered with challenges, they don’t just need the word, but ‘their daily bread’. In John’s account of ‘Feeding of the 5,000 people’ he said, when Jesus lifted up his eyes, “and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.” (John 6:5-6 (ESV). Why did Jesus think about feeding the people, because He is God and knows our motives already? We can hide it from the Pastor or our fellow believers, but can never hide it from God.

You see, the fact is that, everybody has their reasons for going before our Heavenly Father and God alone, uses those reasons gradually to draw us into a deeper intimate relationship with Him. Let’s consider the apostles who walked with our Lord. Their motives for following our Savior was the fact that He was going to restore the Kingdom to Israel and they will get to rule along side Him. They will have positions and authority and gain respect in public. That is why the mother of James and John will go to Jesus in Matthew 20:21 (NKJV) with a request. “And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” Another example is the scribe who came to Jesus in Matthew 8:19–20 (ESV) ““Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” James and John remained till the end, however, that Scribe left without showing up again. We are no different from these people, but once we are convinced that if we stick around for longer in the house of God, He will open our eyes and reveal much more secrets of the Kingdom to us.

Consider the apostles who were so broken about the death of Jesus that, they all went back to their jobs, until the Lord appeared to them again and asked them to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit. Brethren, when we begin to delight ourselves in the Lord as we read in today’s scriptures, we will gain more than just the material benefits we desire. You know, sometimes it may seem funny to you when you are told these things until you begin to experience it yourself. A time will come when you approach the Father not for your daily needs or bread but you just desire more of Him. That is what happened to Paul. He said in Acts 26:9–11 (NIV) “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” When Jesus laid hold of him, there was no return to the other side of life.

To have an evergreen life, it is a daily walk with the Lord and the Holy Spirit. You need to study the word, sit in the presence of Jesus, meditating, constantly praying and above all being obedient to whatever He tells you to do. When you begin to do these, you will notice, you are fulfilling verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 1. Then, when you are much more convinced that being in God’s presence can offer much more than just ‘our daily bread’, that is where you see prosperity. Prosperity that does not cling to the material possessions, but you speak the language of Paul. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12 (NIV).

Dear Child of God, this is the evergreen life God promises us in Psalm 1. Therefore, I urge you today to, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart”. (Psalm 37:4 (ESV).