We need to trust God for a fruitful life
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:
What did I like about today’s passage?
To avoid confusion in the mix of messages here, it’s worth remembering that we are reading a compilation of Jeremiah’s words made over his lifetime, not one day’s worth of revelation.
What I love as we start to see more of the big picture which developed across decades of Jeremiah’s ministry is that among the doom and gloom, bright bits of hope emerge. At first they are so small we can easily miss them, but if you spotted the gems like “I will restore” (chapter 16 verse 15), don’t they shine brilliantly in the dark?
It emerges that God is not simply turning off the lights in the promised land but illuminating the difference between a stubborn, self-guided life and a life of trust and confidence in God.
I was really thirsty for the hope offered in chapter 17 by words of blessing for people who choose trust in the Lord, being “like a tree planted by the water… it does not fear when heat comes… and never fails to bear fruit.” That sounds like the sort of life I want! Let me cut this out and put it on the fridge right away!
Or maybe I need to keep it in the context it was given. It feels like more than a simple reassurance – after all, the false prophets were busy telling people everything would be fine, and they were condemned for missing the point. There was a night coming before the dawn. Before restoration, people would live in exile. In difficulty, perhaps people would become more conscious of their choice between trusting “mere flesh” or God.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
God offers life and sustained goodness for people who trust him, and the difference between this and the life of not relying on God can be evident by our fruitfulness – not the quantity of our achievements, but the quality of our lives and love for others. This picture extends into the New Testament too, with Jesus’ story of the vine we need to be part of (John 15), as well as Paul’s picture of the fruit of the Spirit God grows in us (Ephesians 5).
What am I going to do differently as a result?
I have noticed that the pressure and, in some ways, darkness of our current time of physical exile from our old routines and each other has helped reveal what I really hope for. On difficult days, I realise how much I rely on God as the source of love, joy and peace that I need for me and my family. I miss shopping and fast food! But it turns out they aren’t the biggest desires of my heart. Will they take up much more space in my life when they are more easily available? I want to grow like the tree whose roots extend into the stream, more firmly planted in the sustainable life which comes from reliance on God.
Who am I going to share this with?
My family.