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
Footnote: Two kinds of people are contrasted
here: Those who trust in human beings and those who trust in the Lord. The
people of Judah were trusting in false gods and military alliances instead of
God, and thus they were barren and unfruitful. In contrast, those who trust in
the Lord flourish like trees planted by water. In times of trouble, those who
trust in human beings will be impoverished and spiritually weak, so they will
have no strength to draw on. But those who trust in the Lord will have abundant
strength, not only for their own needs, but even for the needs of others. Are
you satisfied with being unfruitful, or do you, like a well-watered tree, have
strength for the time of crisis and even some to share as you bear fruit for the
Lord?
Keep reading -- 143 days left!
All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV
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