Grow Where We Are Planted...

Jeremiah 29:4-7, 11 Names of God Bible (NOG)

"4 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says to all those who were taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat what they produce. 6 Get married, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and let your daughters get married so that they can have sons and daughters. Grow in number there; don’t decrease. 7 Work for the good of the city where I’ve taken you as captives, and pray to Yahweh for that city. When it prospers, you will also prosper.

11 I know the plans that I have for you, declares Yahweh. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope."

We may not understand the place we are at. We could be there because of what we may have done or because of what someone else has done. We may be in a place of pain and sorrow. We may even be in a place of fear.  But God us with us and wants us to not be "frozen in time." He wants us to grow where we are "planted"

We may not ever see the purpose of the place we are at in our own lifetime. But our actions have an eternal consequence. We never know who will be blessed by our actions in the midst of chaos...even as we walk through our "desert places." It is within these desert times...within our "exile" that we have two choices"

1. To give up and sit in our "ash heap" wallowing in our situation...

or

    2.  We can grow more into the likeness of Christ, to grow closer to God, to grow into that          beautiful "desert flower" in a desolate land.

Which will we choose? Will we trust Elohim or just sit in sack cloth? It may be "easier said than done" most times, but no matter what we go through in life...our God has a mighty plan for us. Which will you choose this day?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84LSLk3hfD4