Leaves

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
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. 

Jeremiah 17:7, 8

I love fall.  This week I took my day off to drive north to see the changing of the leaves.  This fall the colors were gorgeous.  The yellows, reds, and even the various shades of browns were beautiful.

The Bible is clear that when we put our trust, hope, and confidence in the Lord we are like leaves that will always stay green, producing fruit.  Even in times of heat and drought we can remain strong.  We need to plant the promises of God deep inside of our hearts.  We need to become so convinced of God’s promises that no one can talk us out of it.  

This week meditate on the promises of God for your life.  Begin by believing the promises found in Numbers 6:24-26... God’s blessing, protection, grace, favor, and peace.  When you plant the promises of God in your heart you will reap the abundant life God promises.

Faith

Abram believed (had faith) the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 

Genesis 15:6

Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Hebrews 11:6

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

Luke 17:5

Can you imagine that first conversation between Abram and Sarai?  “I don’t know, exactly. But I can’t get away from the fact that God has told me we need to go.”

The Bible says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)  This is obviously easier said than done.  When we look at the circumstances of life we can be easily overcome by what we see in the natural and our faith is zapped.  I believe we need to pray for spiritual sight to see what God sees.  To not live by how we feel, but according to God and His Word.

The bottom line was Abraham just had to believe in God and His promises. Hudson Taylor once said, “We do not need a great faith, but faith in a great God.” Like Abraham and many other champions in the Bible we have to put our faith, whether strong or weak, into our Almighty God.