You see figs? Say what??

"Figs," I answered. "The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten." I do hope you decide to read this little chapter in Jeremiah later. It is totally awesome in every kind of way that I can see. I am so prone to second guessing myself when things are chaotic and I feel like I've disappointed the Lord. It hurts me so much to think I've hurt Him. But this scripture is an eye popper when it comes to making judgments on how we've perceived our current situation or another person's situation. Oh my! Don't we always want to think the worst of someone that seemingly is being punished from a higher power? We wonder what they could have possibly done when we don't know the real facts. But in looking at things from a different view, maybe we can begin to see the greater plan of God in our lives when things are out of order. This is what the Lord says: "Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians...I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me...for they will return to me with all their heart." (taken from Jeremiah 24)

Did you get that? God stated in black and white for all to see that He, THE most holy one alive, regarded the folks He sent to captivity as good. Not the ones He allowed to stay in freedom and in their own homes. Yeah, I had to take another look at that one too. I thought why would He do that? Why not take the bad away and allow the good to stay in freedom and enjoy the lives they had established? But see our freedoms as we know and enjoy might not be 'all that' after all. We could be living a false freedom, behind our false walls of security and our false sense of pleasure. These people taken away were not sinless by any stretch but they were the good guys. They were the ones whose hearts were pliable and responsive to God's call. The bad figs/folks were doomed to destruction regardless of their location. And the Lord went on to tell of their fate in the rest of the chapter.

So to sum it up, the ups and downs we face may not be as they seem. The downs might be that captivity that saves us in the end. Lets hope God doesn't leave us to ourselves to wander around in all our falsehoods until we completely waste away. If God sees that I need to be taken from my comforts and placed in unfamiliar territory...if He sees that it will ultimately lead to restored relationship with Him, then captive I must go. May I not assume life is blessed when all is well and cursed when all is not. My troubles are my blessing when they lead me to Christ and make me stronger. And prosperity is my curse if it pulls me away from Christ. I want to grow strong from troubles and adversities and use the prosperous seasons for His glory and the benefit of His kingdom. Man I hope I don't dream bout figs tonight.:)