THE BLESSED BELIEVER

(Pastor Nathan has been asked to write a series of devotions on Jeremiah 17:5-8 for a future edition of the Meditations devotion book. This is the sixth of six devotions on Jeremiah 17:5-8.)

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD…. But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” (Jeremiah 17:5,7)

As a believer in God, every day you have a choice between two options. Sure, there are hundreds of decisions that confront you each day. The reality, however, is that you have a choice between only two options: Will you trust in the Lord or trust in man? Will your strength be human strength or God’s strength? Will you be confident in yourself or in Christ? Will you turn your heart toward the Lord or away from him? Isn’t that what every day comes down to? Whom do you trust in?

These two verses summarize the Bible’s whole message to us. It’s not complicated. Every day, the devil tempts us to trust in man. Like he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden, he promises that breaking God’s commands will be better for us. He says that we can be like God. We fall prey to his temptations every day, don’t we? What’s the result? We feel cursed. Guilty. Parched. Empty.

That’s why every day is a day to repent. That’s what Jeremiah was really calling the Israelites to do so many years ago. They felt guilty and parched and empty. Why? Because they were trusting in man and had turned their hearts away from the Lord. But the fact that Jeremiah was preaching to them meant that it wasn’t too late. What was God calling them to do? Repent. Confess their foolish sins. Turn to the Lord.

There’s a different way to live. A better way to live. What is it? Trusting in the Lord! As idolatrous as those Israelites’ hearts had been, God was ready and eager to forgive them. As far as they had turned away from him, God was waiting to welcome them home. Isn’t that amazing? We have a God who welcomes home the lost. Who forgives sinners. Who sent his own Son to pay for our guilt. Trust in him!

Then you’ll be blessed. What if you base your whole life on the Word of God? You’ll be a blessed believer. What if you trust in God’s power? You’ll be a blessed believer. What if you rejoice most greatly in God’s gift of salvation to you through faith in Jesus? You’ll be a blessed believer. What if every day you reset your heart by returning to the Lord? You’ll be a blessed believer. May God grant it!

Dear Lord, every day, in all my decisions, empower me to trust in you alone. Amen.

Pastor Nathan