Dependence

Who do you depend upon? What does the bible say about our dependence? Who can we trust to get us through this life?

Jeremiah 17:5-8 takes a hard look at what we trust in by comparing trust put in our abilities (“makes flesh his strength”) versus trusting in His abilities and power. If you have time, first read them in your Bible.

Now, look at these verses when they are placed side by side:

5 Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.	7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.	8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

The key is in the focus of our dependence: Is our dependence on our own strength, on the strength of men, or is it on God?

The contrast of the shrub versus a tree stood out to me. A shrub is generally defined as having several stems, while a tree has only one stem (trunk) that is thicker and more upright than most shrub stems. I think we could draw a parallel between all the things we put our trust in—and all the directions those take us—and the many stems of a shrub. A tree’s one trunk speaks of a singular source for our trust—and the direction that leads us in.

When we depend on men or our own talents, skills, possessions, or ideas, when we set God aside, the Bible says we are cursed. We end up out of touch with our source of life (Jesus) living in a place of spiritual nothingness. Try as we might, when we are out of touch with the Living Water (Jeremiah 2:13 and John 4:7-26), we are in a place that just cannot sustain life, a place where our spiritual growth is stunted and starved.

But when we depend on God, when we believe His promises for our lives, the Bible says we are blessed. We are living in the very presence of the creator and source of life (Jesus), we are in daily contact with that healing (Jeremiah 17:14), teaching, life giving source. When we live there beside the source of life, moving when He moves and breathing when He breathes, even the toughest of times do not overwhelm us, we can remain calm and secure in the knowledge that we are protected and that He has plans for us. We are living in a place that not only sustains life but gives us abundant life (John 10:10) and our spiritual lives are vibrant, alive, and productive.

Who are you depending on today?

Forgiveness

The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, “Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.” Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt. The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, “Pay up. Now!” The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, “Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.” But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king. The king summoned the man and said, “You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?” The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. (Matthew 18:23-34, MSG)

As we dive deep into learning about our relationships with this Love at Last Sight series, we must consider one of the most challenging things for us as humans to do—to forgive. In Matthew 18:23-34 Jesus makes it quite clear what our responsibilities are regarding forgiveness, and He shows us our responsibility in light of what God has already done for us. You see, through Jesus we have been forgiven: completely and unreservedly forgiven. Jesus took the stained dirty life that I had to offer and washed me clean and made my life white as snow through His sacrifice. In His mercy my past, present, and future is forgiven; that is God’s amazing grace.

With that in mind, we read in Matthew 18 an example for us to emulate in our relationships with our spouses, our families, our friends, our acquaintances, and yes, even the people we don’t really care for all that much. The servant was forgiven a huge debt, yet he was unwilling to forgive the small debt that was owed to him, going so far as to treat his fellow servant harshly and have him thrown in prison.

God is very clear that our responsibility with those we have harmed is to seek forgiveness and resolution;

This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God. (Matthew 5:23-24, MSG)

God is equally clear that our responsibility with those that have harmed us is to forgive completely and unreservedly.

Today, as you consider your relationships, as you seek to be all there for the people surrounding you, consider Jesus’ example of the forgiven servant and seek forgiveness from those you have harmed and offer forgiveness to those that have harmed you.