Devotional Song: Go to this link … PLEASE … go to this video link to hear the group Hillsong singing of Jesus, You’re All I need, reminding us that God is the root of all our trust; and He is all we need; and then ON TO THIS LINK to hear Simon and Garfunkel sing that classic song of theirs Bridge Over Troubled Waters, which is as if Jesus is singing to us what He does for us when we’re in troubled waters … i.e., to lay Himself down and lift us up.
Highlight Passage - NKJV - Jeremiah 17: 7-8a …
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, …
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Highlight Passage [Context] - Jeremiah 17: 5-10 … Go to this link
Reference Passage #1 … Psalms 1 [NKJV] … Go to this link …
Reference Passage #2 … Proverbs 3: 5-6 [NKJV] …
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him; and He shall direct your paths.
Reference Passage #3 … Matthew 11: 28-30 [NKJV] … Go to this link …
Reference Passage #4 … 2nd Corinthians 12: 9-10 [NKJV] …
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Schuldt, uses a natural phenomena which can be found in Cherrapunji, India, [see the attached photo] where bridges over their rivers in that area have been built by roots from trees which are rooted along side the rivers and are woven into living bridges. It takes about 10-15 years for each set of roots to be matured long enough to weave into these natural bridges, which create very reliable bridges for the locals to cross the rivers.
Schuldt uses these bridges to illustrate what Jeremiah spoke of in today’s highlight truth, which focuses on how we followers of Messiah must trust Him completely as we try, as Simon and Garfunkel sang, to cross the troubled waters of life [see above song link]. With these troubled waters we must cross, Jeremiah writes (in Jer. 17: 7-8) that the man/woman of faith, who trusts in the Lord, can cross those turbulent rivers without fear just as those in India can trust those living bridges over their rivers. Yes, as the song by Hillsong singing above, Jesus, is all we need!
Testing, testing , TESTING!! … God certainly tests our lives of faith with living waters which are troubled and turbulent, doesn’t’ He? And I don’t know whether Paul Simon realized it when he wrote the song and Art Garfunkel sang it, but their song, linked above, was as if Jesus was singing to His beloved about how HE is a “bridge over troubled waters.” And that’s exactly what Jesus implied when He spoke to His disciples in Matthew 11: 28-30 [see above] and promised to be there to lift them up when they (we) encounter the troubled waters of life.
Our question, as I’m often challenged by my daily Our Daily Bread devotionals is: “Do I believe God’s word as truth; and do I live my life trusting it’s truth as is spelled out clearly in the passages to which I’ve copied or linked above?” I’m being challenged by these truths from God’s word today; … how about you?
My Prayer for Today … Oh, LORD, help me to trust You and walk with You, lifting me up as my bridge over troubled waters. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread [TGIF], distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read the Our Daily Bread blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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