The Two Men

Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? —Jeremiah 17:5-9

There are moments when success and accomplishment project the illusion of human invincibility. These small wins sway us to build confidence in our flesh. Yet failure exposes the flesh, bringing with it an awareness of our human vulnerability. Jeremiah paints a picture of these two men and the eventual long term results. One man who trusts in his appearance of strength and the other man who trusts in the Lord, with two very different outcomes. Trusting in the power of the flesh is a cursed action as it turns a man away from the Lord. Trusting in the Lord brings great blessing and an unshakable rooting.

DO THIS: Don't be two men—be one man—trust only in the Lord.

PRAY THIS: God help me not to trust in the counterintuitive strength of my flesh, my will, my strategy, and my wisdom today. Instead, help me to trust in you—the Lord.