COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Today's reading: Jeremiah 15-17

"This is what the Lord says: Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives.

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of droughts. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." Jeremiah 17:5-8 NLT

I've started a new intense Bible study that is testing my brain power.

I'm having to dig into my high school memories and re-live terms like metaphors, similes and the like.

The study author desires that those studying with her really get the comprehension, the interpretation and the application of each passage of Scripture--so we're going deep!

One of the first things she asks of me is to look in passages for places where the author compares and contrasts.

I spotted it this morning!

I see where Jeremiah compares and contrasts the life of a God-follower and a people-pleaser.

I also quickly see where the blessings fall and where the attempts will come up achingly short.

It's easy to spot the difference: a stunted shrub growing on a salt flat or a deeply rooted tree growing along a riverbank! 

No hope or green leaves and delicious fruit?

Even in a mind that doesn't run wild with imagination one can easily see which would be a better choice, but for a gal whose mind is always seemingly tanked on caffeine (and I never drink anything harder than water) it's a no-brainer!

The Scripture has opened up to me in a brighter light this morning--and I love it!