Tree planted

If you return, I will restore you
-Jeremiah 15:19

A very simple promise from a very Great God. He says restore. Later, He says redeem. This is the promise of the Gospel. This is the Gospel. The Bible is a story of redemption, not of wrath or of a man dying for the sins of others. No! It's about the only Man who ever mattered doing something totally unthinkable in order to restore and redeem His beloved to Himself. To restore and redeem all of creation to Himself. It's a story of victory, of overcoming. It's a story of the difference 3 days can make in the life of the humble. The Bible is more than the story of the Cross; it's the Word of God. (John 1, anybody?) I'm just gonna let that sit...

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He...does not fear when heat comes, and is not anxious in the year of drought"
-Jeremiah 17:8

Trusting in the Lord does not magically turn your life into puppies and rainbows - believe me - that is never written in the Bible. Jeremiah had to stand by and watch his people face destruction. He had to trust that the Lord would see him through that time. Jeremiah did not fear that he should be killed in the exile - no! He was focused on God and God's work. Instead of freaking out anytime things go south, you have to focus on the mission. Just because it doesn't seem like God is working, doesn't mean He isn't. I do not fear in heat or drought because I continue to bear fruit. Can I say it and mean it? Lord, may it be so!