Scripture:
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
Reading:
Human strength will wither and waste away. Stunted, without hope; these are not words we want to describe our lives.
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” (Jer. 17:7)
Jeremiah described people whose whole trust is in God as blessed, happily one with Him. He described these thriving lives like trees planted close to a river. Their roots grow deep, covered and flourishing in the water. Security, vibrancy, and meaning are the results of this oneness.
Jesus invites all people to this river of life, to plant our lives in Him. His invitation is to oneness with God. He welcomes you into the same closeness He has with His heavenly Father.
“ I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:21)
You are not meant to “live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. …bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.” (Jer. 17:6,8)
Rather, through oneness with God, you are meant to be nourished by His living water. Your life is to bear blessing, hope, and eternal confidence leading others also into oneness with the Lord.
“Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jer. 17:8)
Like a tree planted along a riverbank, draw from the Lord. Make Him your source of hope and confidence. Soul secure, reliant on His strength, bearing His good fruit. This is life in the Lord, oneness with God.
Your Turn:
1. Meditate on the immense goodness of God surrounding you and in you through His Spirit. Entrust every aspect of your life to Him.
2. God designed you to live joined to the Lord, one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). Using your own words, accept the Lord’s invitation into oneness with Him.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in You I live and move and have my being. Teach me how to abide deeply in You that Your Spirit may reveal Your goodness to the world. I want to be one with You in every area of my life, God. Amen.