Jeremiah 29:5-6 “Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters . . . that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.”
In a letter to his son who was a cadet at West Point, Robert E. Lee left a motto that is striking to me: “Live in the world you inhabit.” In other words, you can’t live in the world or the time you wish you lived in; so live in the world where you are. Robert E. Lee’s motto is essentially what Jeremiah wrote to the captives of Israel.
God had allowed them to be taken away captive to Babylon because of their sin. However, He told them to “build houses . . . dwell in them . . . plant . . . eat the fruit of them . . . take ye wives . . . beget sons and daughters . . . that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.” In other words, grow where you are planted! It is interesting to note that they were not just to “make due.” God’s desire was that they would “be increased there”-in the place they were!
Our world today is full of despair and wickedness. No matter what is on the horizon (for better or for worse), we must grow where we are planted. Sometimes I wish I could live fifty years ago and talk to folks from that time who have passed away. Those people are not here, but I am and you are. It is not 1950-we are a decade into the new millennium. We have a mandate to”live in the world we inhabit.”
God’s message in Jeremiah 29 is the same message He gave Joseph when he became a slave and his family became a nation. Psalm 105:17-24 tells us that they grew so much that they threatened Egypt! What were they doing? They were growing where they were. God was incubating an entire nation in slavery.
Don’t forget at this same time, Daniel was thriving as well. What was he doing? Daniel was growing where he was planted!
It is easy to think that if you were someplace else, somebody else, or doing something else, everything would be better. But if God has placed you where you are, grow where He has planted you! Be on guard, though, against denial and depression. First, guard against denial. Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, you can face the facts as they are. God’s Word is true, and what He promises will come to pass, no matter what others may say.
Secondly, guard against depression. God said in verse 11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you . . . thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” The “end” is not the same as where you are right now. The end is not the end until it’s the end! The end will come when God plans it, not some bureaucracy.
Instead of denial or depression, choose dependence. God is the Source for what you need to thrive, so depend upon Him for it. Grow where you are planted!
Prayer Requests:
1. Summer Staff Orientation this week
2. Protection and provision for staff
Camp Quote:
“Those who give will always be able to.”
-Evangelist Bill Rice III