Today’s Scripture Passage:
Jeremiah 29:4-14
Key Verse:
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
I’ve always been fascinated by trees. It doesn’t matter the season. Full of leaves, bare, green or decked in an array of colors. Trees are beautiful. They grow in all sorts of climates and terrain. Their differences are beyond numbering (for me anyway).
Trails are a great place to see trees and witness just how tenacious they are when it comes to living.
Trees are unbelievably persistent in their efforts to reach the light and water they need to live.
Some are clinging to the soil, others reaching into the water.
Some have faced destructive disease or pestilence.
Some twist and turn their way toward sunlight while others push their way through and around huge rocks.
Each of these trees are a beautiful example of how I can be spiritually healthy no matter my circumstances or location. First, I must remember:
Jesus is the Light.
Jesus is the Living Water.
Just as trees need water and light, I need Jesus. He’s the Light and the Water I need. He’s the Giver of life to all of us!
In today’s scriptures, Jeremiah is talking to the people of Israel about how they are to live in bondage to Babylon under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. He was a cruel king and there was nothing wonderful about being taken from their homes and made to live in this foreign land under his rule. They were facing adversity!
The promise in verse 13 requires participation. We’re to look for the LORD wholeheartedly. Not for a little bit or halfheartedly. We’re to be as tenacious in looking for the LORD as a tree is in seeking water and light.
What’s the promise for those who wholeheartedly look for the LORD? We will find Him. It’s the old testament equivalent to what Jesus said, “Seek and you will find.”
I think these trees perfectly illustrate the wholehearted looking for described in these verses. They persevere in their search for water and light. They know they need both to live and they don’t let anything stop them from finding the light and water they need.
So, although this is not a new verse for me, it has me evaluating my life. I’m asking some tough questions of myself and I invite you to ask them of yourself as well.
—What do I spend my time and energy trying to find? Am I wholeheartedly looking for Jesus?
—Who or what am I expecting to sustain me through the difficult times of my life? Am I placing unreal expectations on someone in hopes they’ll give me what only Jesus can give?
—Am I making excuses for not following Jesus and His ways? Am I blaming my locality? My circumstance? Others? Am I pointing to the adversities meant to strengthen me as a reason for not living the abundant life I’m created to live? Do I compromise and miss out on all the benefits?
—When the struggle gets intense, do I turn to Jesus, cast my cares on Him, and allow Him to help me through the struggle? Or do I turn to the distraction of busy-ness, eating, exercise, mind-numbing entertainment, or something else to make me feel better or give me the illusion of control?
—Do I see and acknowledge the beauty emerging from my struggle? Am I learning to release my worries and receive His peace? Am I growing in the joy of living and trusting Jesus through it all?
LORD, we’re so thankful to be citizens of Your Kingdom. We’re thank You for the privilege of being your representative in the foreign land we live in now. Help us to grow in our relationship with You, so we will represent You well. Give us compassion and courage and teach us to love those around us as You love them. We want to love as citizens of Heavens and not citizens of this world!
Digging Deeper:
John 1:1-5, John 10:10, Romans 5:3-5, Philippians 3:7-16, James 1:2-4
If you have not yet met Jesus, you can meet Him today. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His family. I encourage you to step into the life He created you to live. You will still have the troubles of this world, but you will no longer be facing them alone. I’m praying for you! https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.