“This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit’” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

Note the contrasts:

·   cursed or blessed

·   shrubs or trees

·   desert or water

·   parched places or roots by the river

·   shall not see good or is not anxious in the year of drought

·   uninhabited salt land or bearing fruit unceasingly 

The contrasts are great, and the difference is whether we are trusting in man or in the Lord.

This post coordinates with today’s reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

*Excerpted from Being Christian. To purchase, visit ccmbooks.org/bookstore