B Encouraged: God Wants to Grow Our Hearts in the Midst of Unexpected Places/Situations. (11/29/21)

In Jeremiah 24, God shows Jeremiah two different baskets of Figs. In one basket the figs are delicious. They represent the people who have already been exiled to Babylon. There they are growing a heart for God, becoming a righteous people after years of not being righteous. On the other hand, the basket of rotten, over-ripe fruit represents the remaining Israelites holding out in Jerusalem. As they refuse to trust God in the unexpected direction that he is leading them, their hearts harden. They are kept from discovering God's goodness. God can uniquely grow our hearts in the midst of strange places and situations. Sometimes God calls us to let go of the familiar. It is easy to justify holding on to the familiar. But when we respond to God, in trust; we learn much about God's heart and our own capacity for love grows as well.