Changed By Love

“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.” Jer. 17:7,8 NKJV

Or put another way:

“But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
the woman who sticks with God.
They’re like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season. Jer. 17:7,8 The Message

And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. Psalm 1:3 AMP

And for a fresh look at a familiar passage:

1 How well God must like you— you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.

2-3 Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom. Psalm 1:1-3 The Message

What does “replanted in Eden” mean?

It means living in the Kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of this world.

Have you been replanted, or are you still living in the kingdom of this world? There is a real difference.

How do we get replanted? We trust in God. We ask the Lord to draw us and teach us how to live in His kingdom.

What did Jesus bring with Him? He brought the Kingdom of God.

We live in The Blessing, not the curse. We have to change our address.

We need to go from “this world” (the curse) to “the Kingdom of God” (The Blessing or Eden).

(As for me and my house, we are praying for our final change of address in the natural!)

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Matt. 6:33

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Rom. 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Cor. 4:20

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer… 2 Thess. 1:5

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son… Col. 1:13

About 12 years ago, my husband and I made a conscious decision to start living in the Kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of this world. We can definitely vouch for the “tribulation” and “suffering” part. The Lord told me that we were vessels that would be broken and spilled out so that His fragrance would be spread to the world around us.

Through our experiences since that time, our foundation that was built on shaky ground was replaced with a rock solid foundation based on knowing that God is real, He loves us, He takes care of us and He is good. His word is true and He is faithful to it. It was God plus nobody else who sustained us through our years of being re-formed and replanted.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned
Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Isaiah 43:1,2

God was with us through every trial, every waiting period, every pressure. We have faced foreclosure, homelessness, wandering across the US somewhat aimlessly, poverty, unemployment, landlords (especially property management groups – ugh!) that made unreasonable demands, and an unmet need for “our own home”.

We also had plenty of people talking us down. Everywhere we went.

Not much support. Only God.

A few people have stuck with us and let us know that they care and believe in what we’re doing. We really appreciate those few.

But God put us in such a place that we could only rely on Him.

He separated us from everyone else.

“How well God must like you— you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.”

Yeah, we’re separated all right. How well God must like us.

But we wouldn’t mind some company here in the Kingdom of God.

And “there’s no place like home” never meant so much as it does now.

Lord, thank you that you will grant us our desire for our own “home sweet home”.

Plant us, please.

The drought is over!