“Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the LORD And whose hope and confident expectation is the LORD. 8“For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters, That spreads out its roots by the river; And will not fear the heat when it comes; But its leaves will be green and moist. And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought Nor stop bearing fruit.” Jerimiah 17:7-8 AMP
Jerimiah give us a great picture of what the benefit is when we trust ourselves into the hands of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The verse opens with the word blessed. Many times, we think about blessing being something good that we receive. In some sense that is true, but the Hebrew word contains much more meaning. The word Baruk means to “Invoke Devine favor with the intent that one will have favorable circumstances or state at a future time.” Blessing is not only a present experience but also a concrete-knowledge of future circumstances and God’s ability to deliver. Look at how the Amplified describes the meaning, “…with spiritual security.” That security comes from trusting in and relying on the Lord! That trust and reliance results in an out flow of hope and confident expectation! Because of those things we are now able to bear good fruit for the Kingdom of God. If we are constantly worried and fretting about the future, we will be preoccupied and unable to truly impact the world for the Kingdom of God! Look at the last part of verse 8, “…And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought nor stop bearing fruit.” Fruit is the result of trust and confidence! Jesus described a disciple like a tree that was planted.
“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 5I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 AMP
The key to blessing is remaining! The believer is described as the branch of the vine, Jesus.
The process of grafting plant material is one of stripping the parent plant and then introducing a foreign material to it. Once the process is started, the nourishment and strength then flow from the parent plant to the graft sustaining it and developing a strong connection so the graft will not be pulled from the parent. As the connection matures, the new graft begins to produce that which it has been grafted into! What a great picture of the salvation process. Jesus was stripped of His heavenly form taking the form of a human in order that we may be grafted into the new life of God. Our lives should then be producing the fruits of this relationship as we grow in the know ledge of Christ Jesus! The above verse reminds us that we cannot produces anything good without receiving our life’s-blood from Him! This nourishment is provided to us through the Word of God and our relationship with the Holy Spirit!
What kind of fruit is coming from your life? Can others see the light of Christ shinning through you? I am reminded of a verse of Scripture,
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 AMP
Let me encourage you today to check the status of your graft! Are you receiving daily nourishment from the Savior? If not, look to see where the disconnect is and God to restore His life-saving love! Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken