Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. – Jeremiah 17:7
There are different ways to approach your Bible reading… water skiing or scuba diving. What? If you water ski across Scripture, you are hitting the high waves and letting everything else just glide past. If you take a scuba diving approach, you go deeply into the Word, searching out its meanings, and exploring its importance in your life. People often “water ski” across the word “blessed,” with thoughts like, “God has blessed me with three children,” or “I’m blessed to have good health.” A word study, though, might surprise you.
The person who trusts in the Lord is blessed with being in an enviable position for receiving God’s provisions or favor as being an extension of His grace. Even Oxford’s Advanced Learner’s Dictionary says blessed is “made holy or consecrated.” As you look at these, you see that to be blessed is not about wealth or comfort but of “being made holy.” The most complete form of being blessed is having been made aware of our wretched natural state, being led by the Holy Spirit to repentance, receiving salvation through personally accepting the work of Jesus Christ as atonement for sin, being set apart or sanctified for the purpose of righteous living before others, and one day receiving a Heavenly reward. Any temporal blessing should pale in this light.
As today’s verse says, you are blessed if you trust in the Lord. Pray for greater understandings of God’s Word as you deep dive into Scripture more regularly. Ask that God would show His nature to others through your life. Seek His will for the nation and mean it in the broadest sense when you say, “God Bless America.”
Today’s Verse: Jeremiah 17:7
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
