Rotten Tomatoes

 

This time of year is great for a vast supply of FRESH TOMATOES. I love tomatoes, but I can only eat so many. Every home gardener and every roadside farm stand has fresh tomatoes and they are so delicious. 

The Lord gave Jeremiah a message contrasting rotten figs, too rotten to eat, and some very good figs. King Zedekiah and his officials were likened to bad figs. The good figs were the people of Israel who had been exiled to the land of the Babylonians. God promised to take care of them, to make them an object of honor. The bad figs were teaching them to worship idols, to ignore God, and to follow their own desires. 

These people, the good figs, were suffering because of the bad figs, the false prophets that lived in their midst. How does our present leadership compare to the leadership of King Zedekiah? Yes, we have some great leaders in our churches. We have men and women who are completely dedicated to sharing ONLY what God has given them. They seek God, seek his wisdom, and preach the truth. Yet, there are bad tomatoes in our basket. There are rotten tomatoes, false preachers, that seem like they have the loudest voices. They give the rest of Christendom a bad name and they lead many people to destruction. These rotten tomatoes affect all of us. 

Jeremiah was sent this message from the Lord:

" 'Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim every word. There is a difference between straw and grain! Does not my word burn like fire?,' says the Lord. 'Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?'" (Jeremiah 23:28-29)

Don't follow every voice you hear that claims to be from God. You can easily discern the difference between the straw and the grain, by living your life connected with God. We do not have to rely upon a priest or a pastor to intervene for us with the Creator of the Universe. If we live in God's word throughout the week, we can sort through the rotten tomatoes by the fruit of the message. Does the message burn like fire? Does the message destroy the sin in your life? If it does, you are hearing from God through one of his chosen vessels. 

"'Therefore,' says the Lord, 'I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me. I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, 'This prophecy is from the Lord! I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I do not send or appoint them, and they have no message at all for my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Filter everything you hear through the word of God found in scripture. Pay attention to the fruit of the ministry you are a part of. Do the messages burn inside of you? Are the sins in your life destroyed like a mighty hammer smashes a rock? There are great pastors and great churches throughout our community, nation, and world. But, there are also those who are in it for themselves and use the message of the Lord for personal gain and personal power. They are leading you in a direction away from God and deeper into the sins of this world. Know the difference between a rotten tomato and the fruit that comes straight from the Lord!