Whose side are we on?

What a great truth stands out in the book of Jeremiah 17.  I have been reading these texts over the last 13 years, listening to sermons over and over again but it sounded a like it is fresh to me this morning.  What a comparison that we see in verse 5 and 7.  I think it is a great lesson for every one of us, especially to those who are thinking of going into mission work.  Therefore I thought I must write this in the blog and share this blessing with others.

We rely on the provision that is set before of us. God is Jehovah-Jireh, our provider.  None of those Heroes of faith in the Bible had an easy and pompous life while serving the people around them.  Their life was on the edge of the sword while their days were busy in proclaiming God's truth and righteousness, both the OT and NT heroes of the faith. They faced hardships and difficulties, but the Lord did not abandon them; that is also true in missions.  Our mission should not depend on flesh and blood.  As it says in the book of Ephesians 6, our fight is not against the flesh and blood, but with principalities and its power and authorities.  What does that mean?  Should we not speak against anything that goes wrong in the society or country? No! We should speak against the moral decay and sin that is working in different forms.  We have numerous such incidents here in our country, Nepal. Churches need to speak out against such fallacies and decays.  However the truth remains that we should not rely on our strength, neither on the man whose heart is devious above all else; it is perverse- who can understand it? (Proverbs 3:5, Jeremiah 17:9)  My strength comes from the Lord most High.  God allows things to happen for the good of his people. Let us not lean on the people and so called powers of this world.  As long as we are relying on the people, we are limiting God's majesty and his glorious work.  What a great word that we see in verse 5.  It says- "Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord." What a tragedy it is when we trust in people. 

Just below at verse 7, we see the opposite of verse 5. It says about the blessedness. "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord." The translations may differ but we can get the meaning here.  He is like a tree planted by the streams of water.  What a beautiful thing we see.  Relying on God is not to become haughty and proud, rather it is to share the joy and blessings that we have in our hand.  What I have in my hand today does not really belong to me.  God is the owner and it should be for the His glory! Our trust is in the Lord!

Times have changed, contexts have changed and missional methods have changed a lot over the years.  Different new strategies have been developed. But God's promises never change!  His word remains steadfast!  He will keep on working in the midst of changing contexts.  

Glory to God alone!