Get Planted By the River  by Steve Montag  

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.  The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”  Psalms 1

 “Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.  For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.  Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.  The heart above all things is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?  I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”  Jeremiah 17:5-10

 Last week we saw the importance of taking the plunge into the river of God, of getting into waters that have to be swam in; waters that cannot be crossed over and allowing God to make us living conduits or tributaries of that river that flows from the very throne of God.  Ezekiel 47 says that wherever that river goes it brings life and healing.  God wants us to be vessels of life and of healing. 

 The scriptures also teach another truth concerning how we are to relate our lives to the river of God.  It’s a very practical truth that has to do with how we live our lives out as believers every day.  Since we are never described in the scriptures as fish, God expects us to swim in the river but not live in it.  It’s fairly obvious that we can swim as often as we like in the river but we can’t live in it.  God has made a way to ensure that even though we can’t live in the river, we can be constantly connected to the water in the river. 

 Every moment that we live we can draw the life of the river into our beings.  That is, to let God plant us by the river.  The scripture does use the metaphor of us as being plants.  We are according to the prophet Isaiah, the planting of the Lord, that He should be glorified.  Yeshua described Himself as the Vine and we are the branches that are attached to Him. 

 I want to suggest to you that it is imperative, a matter of spiritual life and death, that we allow God to plant our lives by the rivers and allow our roots to go down deep and become strong and extend into the river if we are going to make it in these last days.  Because the only way for us to draw life and stay healthy in the spirit realm is to be connected to the river.  The only way to draw life and grow strong as branches is to be connected to the Vine. 

 The location of where we choose our lives to be planted, where we choose to set our roots down really reveals where we place our truest values and priorities in life and that ultimately becomes a revelation of who really owns our hearts, God or the world.

 There are some very practical and obvious ways that everyone can know who really owns you.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know if your walk with God is genuine or not. It doesn’t take a genius or doctorate to know if you’re really walking in communion with Him or not.

 The scriptures above describe our life if the world possesses our hearts.  If God doesn’t have our hearts we are described as “ungodly.”  The ungodly are not like the righteous but are like the chaff that the wind drives away.  You know chaff can look good but it’s pretty useless.  “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

 What the Word is saying is that you can talk a good talk but the ungodly are like flakes that are blown all over by the wind.  If you are chaff, if you are worldly, the scripture is saying you don’t have a leg to stand on before God.  Jeremiah says, “cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength…” You see if God doesn’t have your heart it’s pretty obvious you’re not living by trusting in God.  In another scripture it says, “Woe to you who looks to Egypt for your strength;” Egypt is a symbol of the world system, “whose heart departs from the Lord.  For he shall be like a shrub in the desert.”

 I’ve never been in a desert and I’m not looking forward to going to one.  But if I were ever stuck in a desert I would prefer to find an oasis rather than a shrub.  If you are connected to the River, then you are an oasis.  If you are connected to the world, you are a dried up, good for nothing shrub and “shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.” 

There is a contrast between the shrub and the oasis and what you’re life will be like if God truly possesses your heart or the world does.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.”  The scripture in Hebrew describes hope in the Lord as an anchor of the soul that is sure and steadfast. 

 This is the place where the promise and the guarantee of life is, no matter what is happening in our lives.  There is a continual fruitfulness; it’s not seasonal.  The fruit we bear in the Kingdom when we are connected to the River is continual.  It doesn’t depend on any of the circumstances or conditions of the world around it to survive.  It survives by the supply which God gives from the river of His throne that never stops flowing and moving, bringing life and healing.  Even the heat and parchness of a drought is around this tree, it will have no effect on a tree that is planted by the River.  Its leaf will stay green and keep producing because it’s roots run deep and draw their strength from the River. 

 Allow the Lord to plant you by the River today!  He wants you to bring His life and healing wherever you go.   Place your hope and trust in Him and no matter what the situation you will remain anchored in Him, fruitful and full of strength and life.

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Sunday, January 19, 2003.  To receive this weekly message by electronic mail please send an e-mail to church@fathersheartnyc.com.  Permission required to re-use contents or images in print or electronic form.