Cherry-Picking?

Last month some of my friends posted pictures on Facebook of their trips to Washington D.C. for the cherry blossom festival and next year they’ll do it again. I began hearing complaints about how the blossoms bloomed too early and some blossoms had already opened and died for the season.

I did some research and discovered that originally the trees were a free gift from Japan in 1912. The blossoms peak between mid-March to mid-April depending on the weather.

Most people forget Mother Nature works on her timetable, not ours. Despite advances in technology mankind hasn’t learned how to control nature. No matter how smart we think we are God has a way of proving us wrong through nature and science.

Dear Mr. Christian, the authors of the Bible declared nearly 2000 years ago that man cannot control or comprehend God (Job 5:9, 11:7; Psalm 36:6; Proverbs 25:2; Romans 11:33; Colossians 2:3,) no matter how much we scream from the rooftops. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe the Bible 100%—not just the good parts we want to believe, like only picking up the best cherries.

CHERRY PICKERS?

You see, over the millennia we’ve decided to pick out all of the good parts we like and disregard the things in the Bible we don’t, this changes everything. I’m not just talking about the lost. I’m referring to the conservative right-wing traditionalists in the church.

Don’t get me started on the health, wealth and prosperity preachers of Satan’s flock. Don’t offer me a round of applause; this may be a buzzkill to your blessed up religious miss-beliefs.

Cherry picking Scripture isn’t the whole truth, only part of it; I was taught that a half-truth is a whole lie. Every week millions of Christians attend church to hear the Good News and learn how it relates to their lives, only to hear a sick temporary feel-good message about how God wants to give them the best of this world.

A world that will not last and is corrupted with sin and death; it’s a world that looks pretty on the outside, but is quickly wasting away from the inside out.

Like Sandcastle’s on the beach, the world is fading. Jesus taught the early church to build their houses on the rock, not the sand and cherry picking is the opposite (Matthew 7:24-27.)

Cherry pickers are like Fair-weather friends. When things are good, they come to church as soon as the doors open, but when things don’t go their way they fall away like the petals of cherry blossoms in the wind. Was it worth it?

While researching this blog, I learned cherry blossoms actually produce fruit months after all the pretty blossoms are gone. Only these cherries aren’t the tasty ones you purchase in the store, these cherries are so sour that mainly birds and wildlife eat them.

Jesus had a lot to say about bad fruit (Matthew 7:15-20.) He used agriculture to help explain the things of God to the commoners (Matthew 13:24-30.)

Cherry pickers look good on the outside and like to be popular, but not for the Kingdom. When things don’t go as they plan they lose it and move on to the next best thing. What most cherry pickers fail to learn is God’s timing and plans are better than ours.

He knows our NEEDS—we think in terms of our lives and our world, God thinks in terms of His purposes and the salvation of the world. Israel wanted to be great in Egypt in their day; God was planning a greater kingdom for eternity (Jeremiah 29:8-11.)

Cherry pickers’ timing is a microwave mentality and demands immediate satisfaction, God’s timing is a millennial marathon and guarantees eternal joy—He'll never let you down. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of waiting on God and His timing.

Diamonds aren’t made overnight, but over time and under immense pressure before they glow. God does this for a good reason, only He knows when everything is ready, that’s why we must learn to trust Him more and not our own understanding, this is amazing grace (Psalm 37:3, Proverbs 3:5.)

Not ready yet!

If living in the South has taught me anything, it’s the law of the harvest. You don’t plant one day and reap the benefits the next. After the seed is planted, a farmer’s job is to trust God and let nature take its course; I know God will fight for me. This is why Solomon said there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.)

Not just the feel-good messages. God is less concerned about our selfish dreams, for the cause of Christ. The story about footprints in the sand reminds me of how the invisible God is at work, even when we can't see it.

The hard work is in the waiting for the season of reaping, no days off. Cherry blossoms are bred for superficial and temporary purposes, but God is more interested in the fruit we bear later.

As spring nears its end, many fruits and vegetables are almost ready to be harvested. Where I live, peaches peak around June, like most cherries. I could care less because I don’t eat either. I am a picky eater. I don’t eat for pleasure or entertainment; I eat for nourishment and energy. Don’t settle for the false gospel of cherry picking.

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