Separating the Heart From the Chaff

 Many of us have heard the parable of the wheat and the tares; they look alike when the plants are small but as they grow, the difference becomes more evident. The chaff, is part of the wheat plant, and it must be sifted for the grain to be used.

I have been pondering this intensely lately, wheat and chaff. When we think of wheat, we think of the wheat hearts that are used to make flour, the excess that surrounds that wheat heart is the husk and the stems, basically, chaff is the inedible parts of a grain-producing plant. And this is what is taking up a lot of my thought process... at some point the wheat and chaff MUST be separated. I believe that we are beginning to see this on the national stage at this time, but it is important to take a look at ourselves and make sure that the chaff in our own lives and walk with the Lord is sifted and allow our heart to be what remains.

The winnowing process requires thrashing the wheat and involves throwing the mixture into the air so that the wind blows away the lighter chaff, while the heavier grains fall back down for recovery. In the natural the chaff gets blown away... think about it, it's not heavy enough to stay put, even a light breeze can blow it away. The wheat heart can withstand stronger wind, because it's solid. It is the good part that can be used. In the spiritual, the chaff is what gets in the way of our walk with the Lord and what I want to see in my life is to have that chaff blown away, I want what GOD wants in my life... not the distractions.

Much like the difference between having a life built on sand, as opposed to one that is ANCHORED on the Rock, Christ Jesus. There is a difference. Like the chaff, sand will sift and move, but a rock stands firm.

So I guess where my mind sits, is for those who call themselves Christians. Are you wheat or chaff? The last few years have certainly been 'breezy' so to speak, and the question is, are you closer to the Lord in your walk, or have you been blown out a ways? This is something that we all have to think about. In a time that many churches closed up, and then stayed that way, we saw many around us have their faith challenged in a way that none of us ever expected. It has became a time where the 'habit' of church on Sunday was thrown seriously out of alignment. In many ways, the tossing of the wheat began.

As you look back over the last few years you can view it another way; In our spiritual life, when the rubber hit the road what happened? Did it spin like a bleach burn out? (All show no go.) Did it spin out of control and off the track? Did it fishtail a bit but then get back on course? Or was the driver in control enough to grip instantly and keep going forward, and maybe even gain position.

Each person must look at their own walk with the Lord, for we will ALL (Christian or not) answer to Him for what we do. Do we press in, and see what the Lord tells us to do, or do we let men tell us what is "right". Many of the things that the media says are right are diametrically opposed to the Word of God. The world has a different standard than the church. The Lord is the final say in my life, I choose to follow what HE tells me over the media.

Call me old fashioned, square, too churchy, whatever, I really don't care about what people think, as long as they can tell that my first priority is what God thinks of me. Yes, I want to be a wheat heart!