I been thinking...

Have you been sifted lately?

Sifting... it's not a word most people think about much in their daily lives, most, probably have never even used the word. In Luke 22:31 Jesus said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat" I find this verse particularly thought provoking. First of all that Satan would ask if he could... and the fact that God said yes! But that's another story for another day.

What I want to focus on is the word "sift" what does this sifting process look like in our lives. when I looked up the original word used for sift, what I found was the meaning was... "to sift, shake in a sieve. by inward agitation to try one's faith to the verge of overthrow". In other words things that are working inwardly that are just overwhelming to the point of being overtaken by them. And I started to think how if I were to sift flour or whatever, the process dictates that the "good parts" are sifted out, and the bad are left behind. So that we can get rid of the bad. We tend to think all the bad gets sifted out, and the good is left but I believe that is where we miss what God is really doing.

Anyway... I believe that God allows us all to be "sifted" by situations and circumstances in our lives, maybe not so much as a way of removing the junk, (that we all have) but to move all of the good out of the way so we can truly see and deal with the junk that is being hidden.

What a weird and not often accepted concept. "God removing the good so we are stuck with the bad!?" But let's be honest, if we have junk, the last thing we want to do is have to look at it, because then we have to deal with it. And dealing with our junk is painful, and hard, and sometimes humiliating so we would rather believe that we can somhow hide it and pretend it's not there hoping and praying that God will magically take it away because He loves us and only wants the best for us. And when the trials of life come (and they will/do) and the junk rises to the surface, we do all we can to "give it to God" and and let Him deal with it... actually that means for most people (not all) that we really don't do anything but stuff it all back inside hoping it will disappear one day. Until.... the circumstances of life come back around and it all resurfaces. And we begin the cycle all over again.

TO BE CONTINUED!!!

P.Shane

posted by pshane @ 9:17 AM 5 comments