This is what the LORD told Jeremiah the prophet:
Thus says the LORD:
"Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places
of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:5-8 ESV).
Just as in Jeremiah's day, the LORD is looking for people in our day who will trust Him. Those who place their trust elsewhere will not "see any good come." They will be like a person who wanders aimlessly in a parched and dry wilderness, never entering into God's provision and crossing over into promised-land blessings. Many of these are good people, and can even be Christian in their belief, but they are guilty of the sin of unbelief. They don’t fully trust the LORD, and they wander aimlessly, accomplishing nothing of any value for the Kingdom.
Those who place their trust in the LORD will get through anything that comes their way. Their roots sink deep into rich spiritual soil, reaching the river of life that is flowing from the very throne of the LORD. They are not anxious when calamity threatens or comes because they receive faith, strength, and nourishment from their source—the LORD! They are not doomsayers or naysayers. They do not have a message of hate, fear, gloom, and doom. No, the fruit that they bear is not fear and dismay. They bear the fruit of the LORD—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Beloved, place your trust in the LORD today and every day. The fruit is bountiful, and the benefits are out of this world!
Know that you are loved,
gaj
