The Two Baskets of Figs

“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” Jeremiah 24:7 I was very amazed how God spoke to me through this passage in Jeremiah and wanted to share it with you. During the exile from Babylon, The Lord spoke to Jeremiah and showed him two baskets of figs. One basket was filled with good, early ripened figs (which were considered to be a delicacy). The other basket was filled with bad figs, which were rotten and of no use. God then uses the figs to symbolize what is to come for Israel and His love for them. God promises to watch over them, to bring them back, and to build them up and not tear them down. And then God says this: “I will give them a heart to know me.” That is my favorite part. Over the past few years, God has shown me that we all were created with a hole in our lives that was deliberately designed by Him. This hole can never be filled with anything or anyone but God himself. I have seen people search and search only to find who was there at the beginning-God. The only thing that will fill this gap in our lives is the relationship with God. He wants the relationship so bad with us that He gives us a head start…a heart to know Him. He knows that if we begin to know Him, we will eventually know and love Him wholeheartedly. I am learning to love Him with my whole heart. To Jeremiah, the basket of good figs represents those who God loved and wanted to be near. To me, it represents the same thing today. God’s promise in Jeremiah is so moving and shows the depth He is willing to go just to have a relationship with His children… those who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of their lives and actually open the door to that relationship. My ministry is solely dedicated to helping others know God the way He wants to be known. We must ask God to help us to love Him with our whole hearts. To give everything to Him…our time, devotion, love, honor, worship, tithes. I want to be in the basket of figs that God considers valuable. I have spent years knowing about God and of God, and I have returned because I now know God and am learning what loving Him whole heartily is really about. It is about faith in my Lord that takes my breath away; it is about sacrificing my health if it brings Him glory; it is forgiving and being humble even when it hurts. I have so much more to learn. If you have invited Christ into your life but are struggling to know who God really is, begin by asking Him to help you love Him whole heartily…and believe me…He will. Love, Corrie My prayer for today: Lord, help me to love you with my whole heart. I desire to be close to you…to feel your very breath. You are so holy and I am so unworthy. Yet, you continue to want me…even when I fail. Thank you for loving me.