Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket: The Key to True Fulfillment

By Pastor David DeFillipo

Imagine being invited by Pastor Jim to join him for a day. Perhaps, like me, you were a little bored and thought, “Why not?” It didn’t take long for you to realize that there was something different about Pastor Jim. Miracles happened everywhere he went, and it wasn’t just by chance. Every person he prayed for was healed. Unexplainable, supernatural things took place regularly.

One time, Pastor Jim hosted a conference with thousands of attendees. The event was powerful, but when lunchtime arrived, everyone realized something was missing: food. And you know what happens when hungry church people get together—they get hangry! Yet, Pastor Jim found one young man with just enough food to feed himself. After praying over it, the food multiplied and became enough for everyone to eat, with extra left over. Imagine that! Wouldn’t you want to follow a man who could perform miracles like that?

As amazing as Pastor Jim is, the miracle in the above example was actually performed by Jesus. The story of the multiplication of food is what Jesus did with the loaves and fishes to feed 5,000 people. Try walking in the disciples shoes. They had been waiting for the Messiah for generations, and they were seeing Him do these miracles before their very eyes. And not only that, they got to be a part of them!

The Twelve Disciples: A Life of Miracles

Jesus called twelve men to follow Him, including Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. They followed Jesus through some of the most incredible miracles in history:

    •    Feeding the 5,000

    •    Calming storms with a single command

    •    Raising the dead, including Lazarus

    •    Healing the sick countless times

If you had witnessed all these things firsthand, wouldn’t you want to follow Jesus forever? And yet, when times got tough, the disciples all ran. They left Him, scattered in fear when the storm hit.

What Baskets are you Putting Your Eggs In?

There’s an old saying, “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” In most areas of life, this is good advice. You don’t want to risk putting all your resources or hopes into a single thing—because if that one thing fails, you could lose it all.

But when it comes to faith, the opposite is true.

In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When it comes to Jesus, we are called to place all our hope, trust, and faith in Him. Don’t split your faith among many baskets. The only basket that will hold your life securely is God’s.

The Temptation of Many Baskets

Many of us try to juggle faith in God alongside faith in other things. Perhaps we think, “It’s okay to be a Christian, but I still want to experience everything life has to offer.” Maybe we dip our toes in other baskets like relationships, careers, hobbies, or material possessions, thinking we can still be a good person and follow Jesus at the same time. It’s easy to think, “I can always ask for forgiveness later.”

We invest in careers, relationships, and possessions, believing that these will bring fulfillment. But, as the Bible reminds us, Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all have fallen short, and like the disciples, we sometimes fail to place all our eggs in God’s basket.

Consider the many baskets we fill with our hopes:

    •    Friendships: We try to impress others, seeking approval or validation.

    •    Relationships: We look for companionship, but sometimes we put relationships above God’s will for us.

    •    Career: We sacrifice time with family and church to climb the corporate ladder, hoping success will satisfy us.

    •    Possessions: We find joy in material things, but when we focus more on stuff rather than on God, we make idols out of them.

    •    Addiction: At first, it’s just a way to escape, but over time, an addiction can become an idol, something that takes the place of God in our lives.

The problem is, any basket other than God’s will always fall short.

People will fail you. Your possessions will break. Your career may not satisfy. Addictions will never truly heal your soul. James 4:14 reminds us, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Everything in this world is temporary.

Squirrel Syndrome

The distractions in life are like a shiny object that grabs your attention—a condition some call “squirrel syndrome.” We see something exciting, something new, and suddenly, we’re off track. It’s easy to lose focus on what truly matters.

But when the storms of life come—and they will—we need a foundation that won’t fail us. Matthew 7:24-27 compares building our lives on Jesus to building a house on a solid rock foundation. When storms hit, only the house built on the rock will stand. Likewise, when life gets tough, only a life rooted in Jesus will stand firm.

Shifting Our Focus Back to Jesus

When we’re squeezed by life’s pressures, what comes out? If we have truly put our trust in Jesus, we’ll find that He is enough. He is the solid rock that cannot be shaken.

Look at the disciples. After witnessing miracles, they still struggled with distractions and even ran back to their old careers when Jesus died. But after they encountered the risen Christ, they realized that all their hope needed to be in God’s basket. They abandoned their old ways and focused entirely on Jesus, even to the point of martyrdom.

What changed in them? They decided to give up all the other baskets and say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Your Chance for a Fresh Start

Like the disciples, many of us have been distracted by life’s "baskets." But the good news is that Jesus offers us another chance. No matter how far we’ve strayed, He is always ready to welcome us back.

If you’ve placed your faith in other things or walked away from God, it’s time to get back on track. Jesus is calling you to focus on Him. Let go of all the distractions, and place all your faith in God’s basket.

It’s easy to bounce from basket to basket in search of fulfillment. But the truth is, only Jesus can satisfy the deepest longings of your heart. Matthew 6:33 reminds us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” When you put God first, everything else will fall into place.

So today, ask yourself: Where are you putting your eggs? Are you keeping them in multiple baskets, or are you trusting fully in God?

Let’s stop allowing the distractions of life to pull us away from our true purpose. Let’s choose to put all our hope, faith, and dreams into God’s basket, and watch as He fills our lives with more than we could ever imagine!