“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They 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.
As a young married man in my 20s, I often thought, pondered, and fretted about saving for retirement. My mind would leap forward, wondering how I was going to save and live when my wife and I got older. The looming “retirement” question plagued me. Back when I was that young, we did not have the internet, so quick access to retirement goals and strategies could only be found through people. I did not know any of these people. After half-hearted attempts and despite my lack of knowledge in that field, I placed my little nest egg—very little nest egg—in someone’s hands, and all I was supposed to do was watch, live, and wake up when I was 65 with a mountain of money.
Well, fast forward many years later, after raising four girls, and I can tell you that our retirement plans have changed and been revamped. I am still working on that mountain of money, but I am acutely aware of one thing now: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
Jeremiah is still speaking to an out-of-touch Jewish nation that continues to neglect the Lord and turn to serving and worshiping other gods. The Lord calls that prostitution against Him all throughout the Old Testament. The only difference this time is that all the Jewish people will be exiled to Babylon.
In the book of Hosea, the Lord tells Hosea to actually marry a prostitute. Strangely enough, Hosea marries a prostitute. This woman is unfaithful to Hosea. She continues her prostitution when Hosea is away. She plays the good wife when he is around, but as soon as he leaves, she reverts to her old way of living. In the end, Hosea still loves this woman despite all of her infidelity, and when she returns and begins living a great life as a wife, Hosea accepts her as if she had never done any of those things.
For us, Hosea and his prostitute wife are a picture of the modern-day church. We often just give God lip service and no heart commitment. We all need to adjust our hearts, follow the Lord, and go beyond lip service. Why, you might ask? I mean, what is the big deal about serving this God we cannot see with all our hearts? The Israelites struggled with this as well. All the other gods they served were things they could touch and feel—things that provided gratification to the human senses.
Since God is Spirit, and the Bible tells us that He gave us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us—as if we are the temple from Jerusalem, but that temple is in our hearts—we ought not to seek worldly gratification but instead be in tune spiritually with the Lord. In doing this, you and I will begin to see ourselves as citizens of heaven instead of citizens of the earth.
Our verses above remind us of our foundation in Christ. They tell us we are blessed because we trust in the Lord. We are not bothered by the world or the heat Satan drums up because our roots are in the Lord and His authority. Our lives keep producing fruit no matter what situation life throws at us. Our roots run deep, and we drink from the well of heaven, not the water from this earth.
Jesus told the woman at the well that if she would only drink from the well He was offering, she would never thirst again. Now that is something to go after, my friend. It takes a shift in your heart and mind. We no longer look around us and let the storms of life dictate our attitude and actions. We look to the Rock—Jesus, our foundation and the author and perfecter of our faith—and stand firm with all the armor of God, extinguishing all the fiery darts from the evil one.
With the Lord, we cannot fail because He never fails. If only we would grasp this and live by it, we would no longer be afraid or bothered by anything this world can throw at us. Jesus said we will have hard times in this world, but not to worry because He has overcome the world. You have overcoming power inside of you, and you should never neglect it. The moment you start to turn away, you start forgetting the God we serve and His promises.
Today, make a covenant with yourself. Write it out and promise to never forget, never turn away from, never second-guess, and never question who you are in Christ.
That retirement fund I was so determined to build suffered many setbacks. The Lord had to teach me that He is ordering my steps, and if I am in Christ, then He will take care of me. I can say with a resounding yes that all my previous worrying did not add anything to my nest egg. I traded my nest egg for Christ. His retirement plan is so much better than the one I was building.
Prayer: Father, we are more than overcomers because You love us. We are citizens of heaven, and we don’t get bothered by anything this world can throw at us. We stand and speak to the mountains of life and demand they be removed and thrown into the sea in Jesus’ name. We will never renounce, revoke, remove, or forget the love You have for us, and we stand firm in Your name we pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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