Fruit Baskets!

Some people have been described as being "nuttier than a fruitcake." Others have been described as being a "basket case." How about considering ourselves as fruit in a basket? Having just been to the annual Cider Press Youth Rally in Cashmere, Washington, I can declare with certainty there is nothing like eating an apple that has not been far removed from the tree.

With the current economy, there are many who have been thankful they did not put all their investments in the same basket. Those who have, stand to lose dearly. However, lumping things together that don't necessarily belong in the same basket seems to be a frequent tendency among mankind. Though God loved the world enough to send His Son ( John 3:16), He does not place everyone in the same basket (that is other than all of us being in the same basket of being in need of the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus.) Praise God for the provision made in Christ!

Take a moment to read Jeremiah 24:1-10 because I am only going to summarize part of it here. During the days of Jeremiah, God provided this prophet with a vision of two baskets. One basket contained "VERY GOOD FIGS, LIKE FIRST-RIPE FIGS", but the other held "VERY BAD FIGS, so bad that they could not be eaten." ( Jeremiah 24:2 ESV) The VERY GOOD FIGS represented the "exiles from Judah" who would be taken to the land of the Chaldeans and end up under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. (24:4-7) However, though these would be in exile, they would prosper and return to the land. God would set His eyes on them for good, they would continue to know God, and would eventually return with a whole heart.

The other basket containing VERY BAD FIGS represented Zedekiah (king of Judah), his officials, the remant of Jerusalem remaining in the land, and those who fled to Egypt. (24:8-10) Rather than accepting the message God had given Jeremiah, these listened to lying prophets (note Jeremiah 23:16-17) who spoke of victory against the Chaldeans rather than God's message to willingly go into captivity where He would watch over them. These who remained would be destroyed. (24:10)

All of these had been numbered among God's people. They would have viewed each other as being in the same basket as kinsmen. However, God did not place them in the same basket because the FRUIT OF THEIR LIVES WAS DIFFERENT in character. On the one hand was the SWEET FRUIT (the GOOD FIGS) of those who accepted God's message and were willing to obey. On the other hand were those who craved a different message (the BAD FIGS) and therefore did not comply with the Will of God.

In this we can find both a warning and some encouragement for ourselves. The warning to heed is that just numbering ourselves among others who live right with God does not cut it. We must be mindful of our own PERSONAL CHARACTER. God will not just automatically place us in the same basket. The encouragement is that living right before God, we will not be lumped in with others who are not. Even if we (like those who were taken into captivity for seventy years) experience some of the impact of the unfaithfulness of others, that does not seal our doom. Just like those who submitted to God's message through Jeremiah, God will still set His eyes on us for good.

Let us remember the FRUIT of which Paul reminded the Colossians!
"(22) But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, (23) GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL; against such things there is no law." ( Colossians 5:22-23 ESV)

If we are going to be a "basket case", let it be God's basket as we keep our whole heart turned toward Him. May the character that "FIG"-ures into our live be as the "VERY GOOD FIGS" seen by Jeremiah.

Have a great day LIVING FRUITFUL LIVES SUITABLE FOR GOD'S BASKET!
Carl

See other teEn-MAIL on Character