MISSIONARY SUNDAY: Margot & Alicia Rea

Margot and Alicia Rea

Missionaries to Scotland

Jeremiah 17:5-8

5This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,

who rely on human strength

and turn their hearts away from the Lord.

6They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,

with no hope for the future.

They will live in the barren wilderness,

in an uninhabited salty land.

7“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

8They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.

This portion of scripture is written to Judah who through the old testament had a very rocky relationship with God.

And there is a reason we read all of this…its because it is supposed to be a lesson for us on what not to do with our relationship with our God and what to Do. We are supposed to use scripture and the stories we read to reflect on our spirituel walk and to listen to what God is saying to us.

1. WHERE WE PUT OUR MATTERS

Jeremiah 17:5-6

5This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,

who rely on human strength

and turn their hearts away from the Lord.

6They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,

with no hope for the future.

They will live in the barren wilderness,

in an uninhabited salty land.

A question to ask- Where have most of the people in this world put their trust?

They have put it in a creation of the creator expecting them to be as powerful as the creator and get mad and jaded when they can’t.

No human will ever live up to the love and power of God and yet we really expect them to give us the peace and hope only found in Jesus.

What we as Christians are to share with people the only true hope and that is in Jesus.

Having No hope for the future looks like what we are seeing now…decisions being made for what feels good now ignoring consequences or how the decisions made impacts other people.

That is why Jesus is needed and why I am called and why you are called. God has chosen His church (you and me) to be his hands and feet to this world and it is important to Him.

And the question I have for you is where are you putting your trust? If it is anything other than Jesus then you will be discouraged and hopeless.

Being honest is hard but worth it and this life will never be perfect and you and I will never be perfect. Trust in Jesus brings life and fullness only found in Him. A PEACE THAT WILL GO BEYOND UNDERSTADING AND CIRCUMSTANCES

That is what we are called to share with this world….

The last words Jesus said before going to heaven is GO-Make disciples! I will give you everything you need to do this request. The Christian walk is exactly that.

So there is hope and a hope that is breathtaking and eternal

2. TRUST IN JESUS IS

Jeremiah 17:7-8

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

8They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.

Putting trust in the Lord makes us strong and when life comes at us we can thrive and grow and love on those around us and bring LIFE to dead places!

That is what we all called to do! We bring the love and light of Jesus wherever we go.

It is when we are rooted in Jesus that we can grow and we can flourish and we impact the world around us in beautiful ways!

A flourishing tree brings beauty and life to this world and we as followers of CHRIST can impact this world in beautiful ways. And no matter what comes our way we are not destroyed!

The church/Christians can sometimes forget where their strength comes from. We need to be aware and ask ourselves from time to time where we put our trust and where we are getting the strength to do what we are called to do.

What situation in your life are you looking for something or someone to hold onto and to thrive?

I am challenging us and me to look beyond what we feel and know the TRUTH that God loves you and wants what is best for you and that YOU need to decide who and where your strength comes from. I am praying that in our impatience and pride we do not miss the truth and power of Jesus!

He wants and longs for us to thrive! And He longs for Scotland to repent and thrive through Him!