Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
These verses contain a powerful contrast between the person who puts his/her trust in himself and the one who puts their trust in God. Notice the contrasts in the two scenarios:
*One trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength. That person is a "pull myself up by my own bootstraps" kind of person.
*The other trusts in the Lord and gets his strength for living from God.
*One is like a shrub in the desert, in other words, like a cactus. Not a very inviting picture of dryness.
*The other is like a tree, green and refreshing.
*One is planted in a desert, dried up, colorless, without life-sustaining water.
*The other is planted by the stream, by water.
*One experiences no good. there is nothing nearby with which to refresh, with shallow roots.
*The other remains green all the time, having a root system that can reach the water.
*One has a parched wilderness for living - not a very inviting picture.
*The other has refreshing
space, green and moist.
*One lives in an uninhabited (lonely) place. The verse describes it as an uninhabited salt land.
*The other has no anxiety, picturing a place full of green and luxuriant growth surrounding it.
*One lives in salt land, which tells us it is an unfruitful, dried up, worthless place.
*The other is fruitful and free of anxiety even in hard times. That person can reach water with his/her roots any time, and bears fruit consistently.
There is no doubt left as to the value of living close to God.
I can be a cactus, but why would I do so if I can choose to be a green, leafy, fruit tree?
VS. 
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