Even Greater Things

Jeremiah 24:1b-3 I saw two baskets of figs placed in front of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem. One basket was filled with fresh, ripe figs, while the other was filled with bad figs that were too rotten to eat. Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I replied, “Figs, some very good and some very bad, too rotten to eat.”

7 years ago today, I started on a journey that only God knew what the outcome was going to be. Even though I was afraid and uncertain how to live away from my home and my family, I decided to leave Oklahoma and move to Nashville, TN. For some reason, something in my heart was telling me to move there. Ultimately, I ended up moving to Florida a year and a half later and found a small bible college soon after where I finished my degree last year.

In my life, I have served as a Music Minister at 3 Baptist churches. This month I will celebrate my 28^th birthday on January 12, 2012. I realized there was something spiritual about all these dates and places I’ve been too. The number 7, (the amount of time I’ve lived on my own) represents God’s perfection. The number 3, (the places I’ve served at) represents the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The number 12, (the day of my birthday) represents Jesus’ disciples. Through all of my experiences I’ve come to realize deeper spiritual meaning to things. It's what helps me know and recognize God's will.

As a prophet, Jeremiah understood the deeper spiritual meanings of what God was calling him to do. As a child of God, we will all face uncertainty and will have to act on faith to fulfill God’s plan for our lives. In this verse, the Lord revealed to Jeremiah what these figs meant. Some were good and some were bad. There have been times in my life I’ve produced good fruit and there have been times I’ve produced bad fruit.

The lesson I’ve learned over the years is this: God will prune the good branches that produce good fruit. If there is a glimmer of something bad being produced, God will prune it so that He can make it do even greater things in the future. God doesn’t want us to stay where we are. He wants us to move ahead and learn from our past and be complete in our faith. This New Year in 2012, allow God to prune you and let Him use you to do even greater things.