Hey, Everybody!
Soon after this post is published, I’ll be on a plane to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for this weekend’s Living Proof Live. I love going to the Dakotas so I am filled with joy over the privilege to serve there and anticipating God’s gracious and obvious (please let it be, Lord) presence crowded around us and welling up within us. Please pray for Jesus to be exalted, experienced, and enthroned there and for many to be saved and stunningly delivered.
My Scripture memory selection this week is springing up from my Monday morning reading there in my den at home. I’ve mentioned many times that I use a different translation for my devotional and prayer time so that the words will fall particularly fresh on me and so that, if the reading happens to be a familiar segment, I can’t anticipate it and unintentionally dismiss it. The translation I often use is The NET Bible. I’m going to give you the whole segment I read Monday morning so that you’ll see the verse I’ve chosen this time around in its context. This is Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NET):
17:5 The LORD says,
“I will put a curse on people
who trust in mere human beings,
who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength,
and whose hearts have turned away from the LORD.
17:6 They will be like a shrub in the desert.
They will not experience good things even when they happen.
It will be as though they were growing in the desert,
in a salt land where no one can live.
17:7 My blessing is on those people who trust in me,
who put their confidence in me.
17:8 They will be like a tree planted near a stream
whose roots spread out toward the water.
It has nothing to fear when the heat comes.
Its leaves are always green.
It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought.
It does not stop bearing fruit.
If you are like me, you found the way the NET translates the very first verse (V.5) a little disturbing. You’ll be relieved to know this isn’t the Scripture I’ve chosen to memorize (smiling) but it still needs addressing so that we’re not too distracted by it to engross ourselves in the remainder of the segment. If you’re familiar with the passage, you are probably more accustomed to wording like the NIV: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man.” The fact that the NET makes God the one “putting” the curse on man makes us squirm. Before we let it tie us in a knot and throw us in a lake of fear, we have to remind ourselves of our position in Christ. We have the glorious benefit of living this side of the completed work of the Cross and resurrection.
Galatians 3:13 says to our great relief: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'”
Jeremiah 17:5 is still tremendously relevant to us because it unfolds the misery of counting on mere flesh and blood. I wonder if the “curse” talked about in this verse is of the same ilk as the one in Genesis 3 that came directly from God to man after the fall in the Garden. If Adam and Eve were doing anything at all when they ate from that tree, they were shifting their trust from God to themselves – mere flesh and blood – by attempting to be God-like. Though the Cross of Christ bore the curse for us, we can still endure the desolation that invariably results from placing our trust and confidence in people rather than God. This gets us where we’re going in our post today. Look back at Jeremiah 17:6 because this is the part that totally captivated me.
“They will be like a shrub in the desert. They will not experience good things even when they happen.”
Read it again if you need to but don’t proceed until you’ve tried to absorb that second sentence. Have you ever been right in the middle of something good happening and yet missed the full experience and joyful impact of it? Surely you’ve said silently to yourself as I’ve said to myself, “I should really be happy right now. What is wrong with me??” You know the feeling. You’re in a celebration or service of some kind or a holiday gathering and yet you almost feel detached from it. You’re there. But you are somehow disconnected from experiencing it. You know “it” (the positive thing presently happening) but you can’t feel it. It’s a good thing but you don’t feel good about it…or in it. What on earth is that about?
Jeremiah would suggest that the experience of good can be disconnected from the good because we are in a season of shifted trust from God to man. When we’ve set our hopes for happiness in how well all our people are doing…getting along…flourishing…affirming us…satisfying us…and all-around-generally-blessing us, and we even get a glimmer of it, we can’t experience the good because we know down deep that we can’t hold onto it. As much as we love all our people, we know that, ultimately, they are not going to come through for us. One shoe will drop. Then the other. The disappointment will come. And the harmony we feel for this moment with our fellow humans could at any second flip upside down into complete mayhem.
Notice the part that says “they will be like a shrub in the desert.” Isn’t it ironic that the more we depend on flesh and blood to come through for us and to fulfill us, the more isolated we become? You’d think that numbers alone would insure company and community. In other words, why derive our strengths and confidences from one God when we could get infinitely more out of all these people? Out of all these communities? Out of all our fellow church members? Out of all our Facebook friends? Our fellow tweeters? Company is one click away.
But it never works that way, does it? We never can let down our guard completely and find any shred of real security from flesh and blood. The person obsessed with us today can turn on us tomorrow and we know it. The person who makes life worth living for us today could die on us tomorrow and we know it. I don’t mean to be morose. I just mean to point out the emotional tightrope we’re walking. Being vastly people-oriented rather than God-oriented always ends up taking us to a place of isolation because they’re invariably busy when we want to play, invariably distracted when we want attention, and invariably more taken with themselves than with us. And so, there we sit, with our trust and confidence in mere flesh and blood and we end up feeling like a shrub in a desert. Just as Jeremiah 17:6 says, “It will be as though [we] are growing in the desert, in a salt land where no one can live.”
Trust in man can seem a great place to visit but no one can really live there and come out calling it living.
It’s so odd to me that the more drawn I feel to God and the more taken I become with His Presence, the freer I am to love other people and the less I hold them responsible for me. Community with God increases our “experience” of good in a community of people. It is its own paradox.
And all of this brings us to the verse I have chosen for my memory work this time around:
Beth, Houston. My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
And what earthly difference would that make? Well, let’s see…
“They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit.”
Notice a very intriguing contrast hidden in Jeremiah 17:8 – “It has nothing to fear when the heat comes.”
Reflect back on 17:6b – “They will not experience good things even when [good things] happen.”
When we place our confidence in mere flesh and blood, we are shortchanged even when good things happen. When we place our confidence in God, the Immortal Invisible, we have nothing to fear even when hard things happen. The former leaves us a dry shrub. The latter makes us a fruit-bearing tree.
We never get this lesson learned once and for all, do we? Or maybe it’s just me. I still get so tempted to put my confidence in people and to think that, if all my loved ones were safe, well, and flourishing, I could be so happy. The truth of it is, I do want those things for my loved ones but God alone can come through for them and for me. Anyway, at the end of the day, I could have everything this world could offer and all the good that man could possibly do me and still sit back and think, “Why doesn’t it feel better than this?”
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Let’s hear your verses, Sisters!
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Stephanie Jo
Corvallis OR
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, whw put their confidence in Me.
Jeremiah 17:7 NET
Janie, Sarah & Anna Phillips
Bartlesville, OK
Romans 3:23-24 NIV
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are all justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.
Melisa, Waco, Texas
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
Patti, Clemmons, NC
“I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints. ”
Ephesians 1:18 HCSB
Courtney, Chicora. My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 NET Bible
Kate from Sterling, VA
In the way of your testimonies I delight, as much as in all riches. Psalm 119:14, ESV
Sierra, Salt Lake City, UT
“Let perseverance finish its work so that you will be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:4 (NIV84)
Brenda Lee’s Summit, MO “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 NIV84
Ephesians 1:18-19
I ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for His followers. Oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him – endless energy and boundless strength.
Conway Springs, Ks
I know God gave me this verse with all the bible study’s that are starting back up that I am taking during the week, and also after reading” Unglued ” by Lysa Terkeurst
Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says, Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
James 1:22
Southlake, TX
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” James 1:19 NIV
Michelle W
Boynton Beach, FL
If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. John 7:37b-38 NKJV
Cara, Highlands Ranch, When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, Mark 5:27 NIV
Linda in Ohio
Colossians 1:11 (NLT)
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,
Leslie NIV John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
Kari
Charlottesville, VA
He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. (Proverbs 21:23 NASB)
Carolyn, Orofino, Idaho
“Call on Me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.” Jeremiah 33:3 NET
“Call to Me, and I will answer you. I will tell you of great things, things beyond what you can imagine, things you could never have known.” Jeremiah 33:3 The Voice Bible
I love both versions!
Carol
Woodbridge, CA
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26. KJV
Sally, St. Paul, MN My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Sandra, Swainsboro, GA
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose
confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 NIV
Sharon, Mineola, Texas
8-2-’13
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
I Corinthians 4:20
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)
Sabrina from Morristown, Tennessee
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV
Chester, VA: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
Jeanni, Westland
“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.” Luke 6:27 KJV
Karen from Martinsville, NJ
“Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?” ~Song of Solomon 6:10 (NIV)
Coolest thing: I always thought this verse was about the Lord Jesus, but the pronoun is feminine! It’s about US…His bride! Isn’t that awesome?!!
2 Thessalonians 1:4 (NKJ)
4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
Carmen Summersville, WV “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” James 1:19 NIV
Jaycie
Frisco, Tx
2 Thessalonians 1:4 (NKJ)
4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
from Scottsdale, AZ
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV
Jacqui. Lemoore, ca. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of he lord and The Lord who is the spirit makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
Mary Ellen in Laurel, MT
“Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your coourts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.” Ps. 65:4 NIV
“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8 NIV
Memphis, TN
“You are a hiding place for me; You perserve me from trouble;You surround me with shouts of deliverance.”
Ps. 32:7 ESV
Cherilyn M., Colfax NC
“If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV
Lisa Walden – Grand Prairie Tx
Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV)
U jbiw tiyr deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish youwere one or the other. So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Christine, Altanta, GA – For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 108:4
Joy, Altadena, CA
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.
-Daniel 12:3 NLT
Elvira, Grande Prairie, Alberta
1John 4:16 NIV
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love, whoever lives in love,
lives in God, and God in him!”
Sheila, Beckley, WV My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7
Bette, Danville
1 Thess. 4:11 NIV
…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands…
Richmond, TX
1 Timothy 6:6-7 NIV
” But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
Richmond, TX
1 Timothy 6:6-7 NIV
” But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
(oops my earlier post was a scripture I had previously chosen)
“Turn from evil & do good; seek peace & pursue it.” Ps 34:14
KJV
Becky, Oklahoma City
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Jeremiah 17:7 NET
Jen, Houston
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” – Mark 4:39 (NIV)
“Jesus replied: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 NIV
Amber Moon, Lincolnton, NC
I desire to do Your will, my God, Your law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8 (NIV)
Patty Laramore, Ada, OK
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-22 NIV
Misti, from Kingwood, TX
“Therefore, my brother and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends.”
Philippians 4:1 NIV