Planted by a Stream

Mara planting a tree by the river.

Yesterday our big plan for the day was to plant 50 trees (mostly fruit trees) so in the morning (before we went to plant) when I read my chapter from the Bible for the day it was so fun that it ended up being Jeremiah 17 because in that chapter it compares the life of the man that trusts God with a tree that is planted by a stream. It was so cool to me that I got to visualize that object lesson that very day. The verses have some great insight for all of us so I thought I would share them with you too.

Jeremiah 17:5-8

"Thus says the Lord,

"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength,

and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes,

but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, 

a land of salt without inhabitant."

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes;

But it's leaves will be green,

and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit."

What a choice we have!

Do we want to be like a withered up bush (when we choose to rely on our own-selves instead of God) or do we want to be like a green tree that bears fruit (the product of trusting in God)? The answer seems pretty obvious doesn't it?