AS MORTAL AND FALLIBLE HUMANS, WE PUT OUR TRUST IN A LOT OF THINGS. WE TRUST THE DOCTOR TO DIAGNOSE OUR HEALTH PROPERLY. WE TRUST THAT THE PILOT IS THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED TO FLY AND LAND THE AIRPLANE.
WE TRUST OUR TEACHERS TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN PROPERLY. WE TRUST THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE WILL SEND AND DELIVER OUR MAIL. WE EVEN TRUST OUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES SO MUCH THAT WE’RE WILLING TO SEND THEM OUR MONEY EACH MONTH SO THAT THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF US, OUR HOMES, CARS, AND PROPERTY.
SO, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR MINISTRY, OUR CHURCH, AND OUR GOD, ARE WE JUST AS TRUSTING? DO WE REALLY TRUST GOD TO HEAR OUR PRAYERS? DO WE TRUST THAT THE PASTOR REALLY HAS THE BEST INTREST AT HEART FOR THE CHURCH? DO WE REALLY TRUST OUR FELLOW BELIEVER’S MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH AND THAT THEY HAVE NO HIDDEN MOTIVESIN WHAT THEY DO? DO WE REALLY TRUST THE CHURCH TO USE OUR TITHING TO THE GLORY OF GOD?
IF OUR SECULAR, ALL-INCLUSIVE, AND PLURALISTIC NATION CAN AT LEAST PUT “IN GOD WE TRUST” ON, OF ALL THINGS, OUR MONEY, CAN WE, AT LEAST, TRUST GOD ALL THE MORE?
TRUST HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE A MAJOR ISSUE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE. TRUST MEANS TO HAVE FAITH AND HOPE IN, AND TO SHOW RELIANCE ON AND COMMIT TO THE ONE YOU ARE PLACING THE TRUST UPON.
IT IS THIS VERY CONCEPT THAT JERIMIAH HAS PLACED HIS EMPHASIS. IT IS THE BASIC CONCEPT OF PLACING OUR SOLE NEED OF RELIANCE UPON GOD ALONE FOR ALL OF LIFE’S CIRCUMSTANCES.
JERMIAH IS FORWARDING ON THE WORDS OF GOD TO SIMPLY TELL US THAT WHERE PEOPLE DEPEND ON HUMANKIND RATHER THAN ON GOD, SPIRITUAL LIFE CANNOT AND WILL NOT THRIVE.
NO, I AM NOT DENYING OR SPEAKING AGAINST THE FACT THAT THERE IS STILL A TRUST IN MAN THAT IS NATURAL AND RIGHT. WHAT I AM SAYING IS WHEN THAT HUMAN TRUST BECOMES FOOLISH AND WRONG BY OVERTAKING THE PLACE OF GOD.
FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE TRUST OUR PRESIDENT MORE THAN GOD TO PROTECT AND DEFEND OUR NATION. WHEN WE PLACE MORE TRUST IN THE SKILL OF A PHYSICIAN TO CURE US THAN GOD’S ABILITY TO HEAL US. WHEN WE TRUST THE ASTUTENESS OF THE LAWYER TO BE SUFFICIENT TO DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF LIBERTY, RELIGION, AND THE SANCTITY OF LIFE MORE THAN GOD WHO AUTHORED THESE VERY CAUSES.
THE BIBLE IS FILLED WITH STORIES OF HUMANITY DROWNING IN THE DEPTHS OF SORROW BECAUSE THEY TURNED TO THE FLEASH RATHER THAN TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
HOW MAN ACCOUNTS DO WE SEE WHERE NATION AFTER NATION HAS FALLEN TO ITS RUIN AFTER TURNING TO WORLDLY INFLUENCES RATHER THAN TO PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, TO THE MORTAL RATHER THAN TO THE DIVINE, TO THE MAN WHO WILL PERISH RATHER THAN TO THE GOD WHO IS ETERNAL.
ALEXANDER FRASER TYTLER WHO LIVED AT THE END OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, WROTE IN HIS BOOK, “THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ATHENIAN REPUBLIC” A CHILLING WARNING.
TYTLER FOUND THAT ANCIENT DEMOCRACIES DECLINED UNDER THE SELFISHNESS AND DEPENDENCE UPON THE HUMAN HEARTS HE WROTE: "THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST CIVILIZATIONS HAS BEEN 200 YEARS. THESE NATIONS HAVE PROGRESSED THROUGH THE FOLLOWING SEQUENCE:
FROM BONDAGE TO SPIRITUAL FAITH;
FROM SPIRITUAL FAITH TO GREAT COURAGE;
FROM COURAGE TO LIBERTY;
FROM LIBERTY TO ABUNDANCE;
FROM ABUNDANCE TO SELFISHNESS;
FROM SELFISHNESS TO COMPLACENCY;
FROM COMPLACENCY TO APATHY;
FROM APATHY TO DEPENDENCY;
FROM DEPENDENCY BACK TO BONDAGE.”
THIS CYCLE OBVIOUSLY PROVES IS THAT SOCIETY AS A WHOLE CAN START WELL, BUT NOT NECESSARILY END WELL. THE LEVEL OF A SOCIETIES STATUS SEEMS TO DEPEND UPON THAT SOCIETIES ABILITY TO PLACE THEIR DEPENDENCE UPON THE RIGHT THINGS IN LIFE.
WHEN ONE BECOMES TOTALLY DEPENDENT UPON THEMSELVES, SOMEONE ELSE, OR EVEN A GOVERNMENT OR AN ORGANIZATION, THEY WILL SOON IMPLODE FROM THE BURDEN OF USING UP ALL THEIR ENERGY AND RESOURCES TO SATISFY THEIR LEVEL OF NEED. THEY WILL WASTE AWAY SINCE THEY WERE NEVER CREATED WITH THE ABILITY TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS ALL BY THEMSELVES IN THE FIRST PLACE. LIKE A SCRUB BUSH IN THE DESERT, THEY WILL SOON DRY UP AND BECOME PARCHED, FRUITLESS, AND BARREN.
THE IMAGRY OF THE DWARF JUNIPER IN THE DESERT IS TO SYMBOLIZE THE ONE WHO DOES NOT ALLOW THEIR LIFE TO BE NURISHED AND SUSTAINED BY GOD IN A SPIRITUAL WAY. THESE ARE THE ONES WHO BECOME BOTH STUNTED AND STARVED NOT ONLY SPIRIUTALLY, BUT MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, AND EMOTIONALLY.
THAT IS WHY THE IMAGE IS ONE OF A SHRUB INSTEAD OF A MAJESTIC, STURDY, AND FLURISHING TREE. THE SHRUB IS A SCRAWNY, STUNTED, FRUITLESS, BUSH INCAPABLE OF DOING ANYTHING OTHER THAN TO JUST EXIST IN AN AREA OF BARRENNESS.
THE GOOD NEWS FOR US TODAY IS THE FACT THAT THERE IS A MUCH BETTER WAY TO LIVE. JEREMIAH PROCLAIMS IN VERSES 7-8, THAT IF WE WILL PLACE ALL OUR TRUST IN THE LORD, WE “...WILL BE LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE WATER THAT SENDS OUT IT’S ROOTS BY THE STREAM.”
THE HEBREW WORD “PLANTED” IS A VERB THAT SHOULD BE TRANSLATED TO READ “TRANSPLANTED.” THAT IS, ONE WHO ALLOWS THE LORD TO COME INTO THEIR LIVES AS NOT ONLY THEIR SAVIOR AND LORD, BUT AS THE CHIEF GARDNER TO “TRANSPLANT” THEM INTO A GREATER LIFE OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY. A LIFE WHERE THE CHIEF GARDNER WILL BE ABLE TO CARE FOR THEM IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY WILL HAVE A FERTILE AND PRODUCTIVE SPIRITUAL LIFE THAT BEARS AN ABUNDANCE OF FRUIT.
JOHN 15:8, “THIS IS TO MY FATHER’S GLORY, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT, SHOWING YOURSELVES TO BE MY DISCIPLES.” JOHN 15:5, “REMAIN IN ME, AND I WILL REMAIN IN YOU. NO BRANCH CAN BEAR FRUIT BY ITSELF; IT MUST REMAIN IN THE VINE. NEITHER CAN YOU BEAR FRUIT UNLESS YOU REMAIN IN ME.”
IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL ALLOW GOD TO “TRANSPLANT” YOU FROM A LIFE OF THE FLESH TO A LIFE OF THE SPIRIT. IT IS A MATTER OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE WILLING TO MAKE THE EFFORT TO LIVE THE REFRESHING LIFE LIKE THE TREE PLANTED BY THE WATER’S EDGE.
I’VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN: IT IS A LIFE YOU MUST WANT TO HAVE. IT IS A LIFE THAT TAKES EFFORT TO HAVE AND IT TAKES A WILLINGNESS TO SEEK AFTER. IN OTHER WORDS, IT TAKES WORK BECAUSE IT IS A LIVING RELATIONSHIP THAT REQUIRES YOUR TIME, ENERGY, AND RESOURCES.
THIS I WANT TO REMPHASIZE WHAT JEREMIAH WROTE IN VERSE 8, THAT IF WE WILL PUT OUR TRUST IN THE LORD, WE ‘WILL BE LIKE A TREE THAT IS PLANTED BY THE WATER THAT SENDS OUT ITS ROOTS BY THE STREAM.”
THE HEBREW WORDS “SENDS OUT” IS A VERB THAT MEANS TO “THRUST OUT” TO INDICATE THAT SENDING OUT THE SHOOT TO THE LIFE-GIVING WATER SOURCE IS DONE WITH INTENSITY AND WITH GREAT VIGOROUS ACTION.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT ONE FOR COWARDS AND WHIMPS. IT TAKES A SENSE OF UNWAVERING SURRENDER, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, AND UNBREAKABLE DEVOTION.
THAT IS WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BUSH AND THE TREE. BOTH OF THEM EXPERIENCE THE SAME DROUGHT AND THE SAME HEAT YET COME OUT WITH DIFFERENT RESULTS.
DUE TO THE BUSH’S LACK OF DEEP ROOTS IT LACKS FERTILITY AND LIFE, BUT THE TREE’S VIGOROUS WORK TO THRUST OUT ITS ROOTS TO THE WATER, IT CONTINUES TO BEAR FRUIT.
WHO ARE WE MORE LIKE TODAY? THE BUSH? THE TREE? IF SO, WHAT OR WHO ARE WE DEPENDING UPON FOR OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH TODAY?
AS WE EXAMINE OUR HEARTS DO WE SEE OURSELVES MORE AS THE DESERT BUSH THAT LACKS VIGOR AND LIFE? THE BUSH THAT JUST EXISTS FROM DAY TO DAY COMPLETELY VOID OF EXERTING ITSELF FOR ANYTHING OF VALUE. THE BUSH WHO TAKES NOTHING IN NOR GIVES ANYTHING OUT?
OR CAN WE BE MORE LIKE THE TREE BY THE WATER’S EDGE? THE KIND OF TREE THAT DEPENDS SOLEY ON ITS CREATOR TO HELP IT BEAR FRUIT IN SEASON AND TO ALWAYS BE FULL OF LIFE, HEALTHY, AND PROPERLY NURISHED?
THE KIND OF TREE THAT VIVIDLY EXEMPLIFIES SPIRITUAL MATURITY, DURABILITY AND ABILITY TO STAND FIRM AGAINST THE PRESSURES, THE HEAT, AND ALL THE VARIOUS CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE MANY SEASONS OF LIFE.
LET US MAKE A COMMITMENT TODAY THAT WE WILL BECOME VIBRANT TREES OF FAITH. THE KIND OF TREE THAT EVEN WHEN THE DRY PERIODS DO STRIKE, THERE IS STILL A DEEP SOURCE OF LIFE WITHIN ITSELF TO CARRY IT THROUGH TO HARVEST.
WHETHER YOU ARE A BUSH OR A TREE ALL GOES BACK TO WHO OR WHAT YOU ARE PLACING YOUR DEPENDANCE UPON IN THIS LIFE. WHETHER YOU ARE A “BUSH” OR A “TREE” ALL GOES BACK TO WHERE YOU STAND IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
IF LIFE HAS BEEN DULL, BORING, AND LACKS ZEAL TO THE POINT OF EVEN QUESTIONING YOUR PURPOSE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, THEN MAYBE IT IS TIME TO GET OUT OF THE DESERT OF SELF-DEPENDENCY AND STRETCH OUT YOUR ROOTS TO THE STREAMS OF LIVING WATER.
JOHN 4:13-14, “JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID...’WHOEVER DRINKS OF THE WATER THAT I SHALL GIVE HIM WILL NEVER THIRST. BUT THE WATER THAT I SHALL GIVE HIM WILL BECOME IN HIM A FOUNTAIN OF WATER SPRINGING UP INTO EVERLASTING LIFE.”
LET US ALL BECOME LESS “DEPENDENT” ON THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD AND MORE ‘IN DEPENDENCE’ OF CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD, WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF OUR FAITH AND THE GIVER OF ETERNAL LIFE. “BLESSED ARE THEY WHO TRUSTS IN THE LORD, AND WHOSE HOPE IS IN THE LORD” (VV 7).
