Basket Case!

                                                   



Do you ever feel like a basket case? I'm sure if we're all honest our answer would be YES! You especially know what I mean if you're a Moma! :) Sometimes you wish you could crawl into a basket to get away from everything even if it were for just a minute! (Forget Calgon-who has the time to soak in a tub!) I was listening to a local preacher on the radio the other day and a comment he made gave me a different definition of what basket case means. He was preaching on Moses and made the comment that Moses went from being a basket case to a blessing! "Pretty good," I thought. That got me thinking about all of the times the Lord used a basket to accomplish His Work.
 The first one was of course Moses. This basket was used for protection.That loving mother, Jochebed, carefully used her skilled hands in weaving to make a safe cradle for her baby boy. This ark, as Ex. 2:3 calls it, was made of bulrushes and daubed with slime and pitch to make a water-proof seal inside it. This seal is representative of the Holy Ghost. When we accept Christ as our Saviour, we are placed in His protection by the Seal of the Holy Ghost (Ephesians 1:13.) This is His promise to us for protection to keep us safe as we walk in this ungodly world. We are safe from all harm, with only the things touching us that the Lord allows.This is as long as we stay in the safety of God's will for our lives. We need to know where God wants us to be and live a pleasing life for Him. Just as Moses was shielded from the dangers of the Nile, we will be shielded as well.
 The second basket was the one used by the disciples to lower Paul down over the wall for escape out of Damascus. The Jews had taken counsel to kill him after they heard of his conversion and preaching in the synagogues. The Jewish leaders had just lost their #1 man in trying to get rid of the Christians through persecuting them. Now, he had joined their side. No wander they wanted him dead! Isn't this how it is when we get saved? The devil certainly isn't happy about it, and he will do whatever he can to try to stop our work for Christ. Damascus was where Paul was saved and THEN started serving the Lord. He didn't get saved and just sit in the street that was called Straight (Acts 9:11.) He started following God and did want He wanted Him to for His service. This basket moved Paul from the point of salvation, to the Passage of service. It was the Lord's tool, once again, for protection, but also for moving Paul along in the path that He wanted him to follow for his life.

 The third time baskets are mentioned is at the feeding of the 5,000 plus in Matthew 14:20. The disciples gave to the multitude what the Lord blessed and broke, and then He instructed them to take up the fragments, or leftovers. The Bible says that 12 baskets were taken up! How many disciples were there? 12! At first the disciples didn't think they would have enough with 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed everyone, then the Lord gave MORE THAN ENOUGH  (vs.20) for them eat, with 12 baskets let over for each disciple. Notice it didn't say the disciples ate when the people did. It says they GAVE to the multitude.  God WILL provide for our needs as we serve Him and give to Him FIRST! These were provisional baskets!(Kinda give new meaning to leftovers right?) :) The Lord has promised our needs to His faithful children (Phillipians 4:19.)
So, the next time you feel like a basket case, remember its ok! Remember the basket you're in gives you protection, passage, and provision! Unlike Calgon's promise to "take you away", one day our Basket of Salvation WILL!