Posted by Pastor Jim on
December 08, 2011 06:47
The prophet Jeremiah spells it right out for us. What is the difference between a cursed man and a blessed one? Would you like to know? Jeremiah explains that clearly and then paints a portrait of each one. He addresses the cursed man first. This is the man who puts his trust in man. Whether that is himself, other people, or the experts, his confidence is in the strength and ability of mortal man. He looks to man for all his answers. He leans on his own understanding and his own abilities to get what he wants in life. The flesh is his arm. He is described as a shrub in the desert and he does not see when good comes. It’s not that good things don’t come to the cursed man the problem is he just can’t see it. The only good he can see is what his own efforts can produce since his trust is in himself. Blessings are all around him he’s just not aware of them. The blessed man also needs to learn how to trust only his trust is not in man but in the Lord. He rests knowing Jesus did it all for him on the cross and there is nothing he can add to that. He’s not out to convince God or anybody else that he deserves good things because he knows he doesn’t. He simply believes in his heart and receives God’s best by faith. And the blessed man is no shrub in the desert. He is a tree planted by the waters with deep roots. This is a picture of health, vitality, beauty, strength and fruitfulness. This man also has an eye problem. He’s like the cursed man in that he can’t see something. The cursed man can’t see when good comes while the blessed man can’t see when heat comes. He’s not exempt from stress, pressure or drought, but he is not affected by them. Heat does come but he is not conscious of it because his trust in the Lord has positioned him to be planted by the waters. He doesn’t fear, he is not worried, there is no anxiety and no depression. Conditions all around him may change but the One he is trusting in never will. Why not put all your trust in the Lord today and join the ranks of the blessed so that you don’t see heat but only good? That is the blessing of the blessed man.