To complete this study for this week, I want to look at Jeremiah 17:5-8; "Thus says the
Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, 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."

This chapter begins with a dissertation about the sins of Judah. Their wealth and treasures were used as spoil for the price of their sin. They would lose their heritage that God had given them and they would end up serving their enemies far from home. All because God’s anger was as a fire which would burn forever. The first line of this scripture indicates that man was not to put their trust in each other and in themselves; It concludes with putting our trust in the Lord, above all! Not just trusting in the Lord but who’s trust is the Lord!

In short; Let us view God as the one in charge of our lives. Let us remember that trusting Him takes the burden of proof away from us. When we read John 3:16; "For God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in Him should not parish but have everlasting life" , the reliability of God’s word is our proof. As we discussed earlier, when young we leaned upon those who had authority over us and those who were close to us. When we go out into the world, whether entering the service, or furthering our education and/or into the work place we feel almost invincible. Nothing bad is going to happen to us! I am making my own decisions and life is going to be good because I will make it so. I received news this morning that a dear friend of many years has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It is slow growing but it has had time to get to a 6 or 7. Their love for the Lord is evident in that they will fully rely on God throughout this experience of walking through this field of 'C'. Invincible? No! Why me? Why not you! God becomes more evident in our lives when we fully rely on Him.

Don’t short change yourself by taking short cuts! Realize you are in this for the long haul and God is there every step of the way. Putting our trust in man instead of God is saying out loud; "I don’t need anyone". Putting our trust in God instead of man is saying quietly; "I can F.R.O.G because He is my Lord and Savior"! Jane Ann