Made in His Image

Jeremiah 17 5–8

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh, and whose heart turned away from the Lord.

That person will be like a bush in the wasteland. They will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

They 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.”

All of us are accidents of geography. We do not choose where we are born or where in our early lives we live. Some people grow up in fairly stable and unchanging environments. Others are shifted from place to place on a regular basis.

Even in our adult lives, we often feel like we have little choice about where we are. We’re in a certain place because that’s where the job opportunities exist. We locate in a certain city, because family or friends are there. We do not always get a choice about where we land.

Our spiritual lives are something else, however. In that realm, we can choose where we are planted. This passage in Jeremiah uses a very familiar analogy to ask a central question about our spiritual lives: Where do you choose to be planted?

Do you choose a desert environment, a place where there is little water and sustenance for you to grow? The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, says that you can be like a bush planted in the desert, barely surviving and bearing no fruit.

Or you can choose to plant yourself by a stream and to sink your roots deep into that ground. You can grow to where you are unafraid of the drought or the high winds. You can bear fruit no matter what the conditions because your roots are deep and your branches are strong. This is your choice, your decision to make.

Where are you planted?

Our Father, guide me in the choices I make about where I should plant myself. Help me to find a place by your living water, to sink my roots deeply, and to bear fruit for your kingdom. Amen.

This devotion was written by Jim Stovall and read by Sam Barto.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.