January 22, 2009
Text: Jeremiah 17:5-8
Title: Our Faith Was Made For This

Thoughts:

“Our faith was made for this.” Over the last few days, I have found myself reciting this statement in several contexts. Whether standing at the foot of a hospital bed where a saint is nearing the end of their race or on the phone with someone facing a financial situation, I have been reminded that our faith in Jesus Christ is made for times of adversity.

Jeremiah 17 has to be one of the clearest descriptions of the contrasting belief systems: those who trust in the flesh and those who trust in the Lord. In verses 5 and 6 Jeremiah describes the futility of trusting in the flesh. Beyond futile it is cursed! However, the antithesis is the one who places their trust in the Lord. It is filled with God’s blessings!

Could there be any more beautiful verses than verses 7 and 8? Jeremiah describes the God-ward trust as a tree flourishing along the banks of a river. Its roots reach into the vast resources of the living water. Its leaves are lush and green. When others are suffering through drought and heat, those who trust in the Lord continue to produce fruit.

In the midst of the current economic recession, many who have placed their trust in the financial system of America’s prosperity are withering in the desert of desperation and despair. Unfortunately, many believers are among them. Yet, as I read these words of Jeremiah, I cannot help but think now is the time that the fruit of our trust in Christ has to produce. If the promises of our God are true, now is the time for them to be fulfilled among us.

Our faith was made for this moment. May the body of Christ cast off fear and anxiety. May we break our trust in a fallen world and reestablish it again in Christ Jesus. With radical faith, I believe the promises of Jeremiah 17 are ours. And, I chose to trust in the Lord.

Application:

Do you believe the words of Jeremiah 17 are true and applicable for today?

What does your life and faith resemble: a shrub in the desert or a tree flourishing along the banks of the river?

Are there areas where you are trusting the Lord and others where you trust in something else? What are those areas and how can you change this?

Prayer:

Father,

There are numerous examples of how Your people have found their provisions met, while others suffered because they did not trust in You. We need a demonstration of Your truth in our day. In my life I need to see the fruit of Your blessings. Show me where I have trusted in the strength of the flesh and the futility of my ways. I repent of trusting in my abilities and capabilities. I place my trust in You and stand to see Your Word fulfilled in my midst. My faith in You was made for times of adversity. I am blessed because I place my trust in You.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In A Truck Constructed By Kids

January 21, 2009
Text: Jeremiah 17:5-9
Title: In A Truck Constructed By Kids

Thoughts:

In His infinite wisdom and providence, God knew me well enough that He blessed me with an incredibly smart sister. Recognizing that I probably wasn’t smart enough to survive life, or college, on my own, He sent me a sister who is much smarter, stronger, and savvy than me.

As the years go by, I recall more and more of our adventures as children with no tv, Nintendo, or cell phones. (Yes, there really was a time when people survived without these!) On one occasion my ingenious sister took some left over blocks, plywood, and lumber and created a masterpiece truck for me. Complete with a steering wheel, bed, and cab, my stationary truck incited a spirit of jealousy among the community rednecks.

As a 7 year old that truck took me on travels untold. I went to the store, drove my dog around, and made daring escapes from countless dangers. And, all of this in a truck without wheels.

I suppose this is a picture of our lives when we’re left to our own human imaginations and resources. While cherishing my sister’s creation, it just doesn’t work in reality. Likewise, the plans, imaginations, and resources of Judah were well short of any real defense against the judgment of God. Trusting in the military might of Egypt and their own fleeting finances, the Israelites were trekking across no land, making no progress and no sense. Nevertheless, it worked in their minds.

Perhaps, there’s a lesson we can learn from a childhood memory. Just as childish contraptions are infantile among ‘real’ world needs, so are our futile attempts at matching ourselves as, or with, God. May we embrace spiritual understanding as we embrace maturity…an unequaled necessity.

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. (1 Cor. 13:11)

Application:

Have you ever thought it possible to conform a device to match God? (hiding from Him, making earthly alliances to protect you, etc.)

In what ways do we trust in our inventions, rather than trusting in God?

Is there an area in your life that you are adventurously living in deception of the truth?

Prayer:

Father,

How foolishly I must look at times. As adults amusingly watched me spend hours in an imaginary truck, so You must look at my attempts to configure human responses to spiritual issues. At my every attempt to do so, will You lead me back to that childhood memory and remind me that’s what I look like? I can only trust in You! You are my Savior, Sustainer, and Strength. May I trust in no one or nothing else!

In Jesus’ name. Amen.