My wheat and chaff

Part two of the wheat and chaff message that God gave me is about my personal wheat and chaff. This is the really hard part that I SOOOOOO don't want to write. You know, once you've learned something in the Word of God, you are responsible for it. ARGH! Oh well. I asked for growth in Him this year. I'm getting it in spades. lol

We all have our own personal wheat and chaff to deal with. Our chaff can be watching too much tv, being disrespectful, not taking care of our responsibilities, or any number of things. The list of my personal chaff is so very very long! I'm disorganized, I watch too much TV, I am awful at housecleaning, and on and on. Yet, I have hope. I know that God is in me, strengthening me, helping me to overcome the failings of this world.

1 John 4:4 (Amplified Bible)
4Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

I've dramatically cut down TV time lately. I'm actually enjoying it. It started out that God said we needed to get our house together. No TV until it was all done. Um, yeah. I know He's seen just how much junk and mess we've had to go through. We made exceptions for the TV shows that we watch as a family. Actually, the kids and I discussed it, and we could get rid of our satellite TV and switch over to the free digital TV stuff since our family shows are on regular network TV. But don't tell my husband yet. We're still angling for a digital TV. hehehe

Seriously, the time without TV has been a blessing. I now realize that I like spending my morning in Bible reading and prayer and study. I'm adding that to my daily schedule as a regular thing. I still have to work on the internet time, but that will come. The main floor of the house will be finished today. The lower floor of the house will take more time since we're still redoing everything from the floods (we've had two in the last six months). I look at my schedule five years ago, and I was incredibly busy and even productive! I ran two local chapters of charities on a part time volunteer basis, and was involved in a third. I don't know what happened. I feel like I've been sleeping my life away for the past year. Yes, part of that was being ill, but part was ... well ... laziness. I can't try to hide it. Sin is sin, and we are to call it that. So, laziness is another area of chaff for me. But God (I love those two little but big words!) is delivering me from that. I still feel the call to be involved in charities. Actually, I feel it more - that I need to get out in the world if I am going to impact it for God.

Laying aside the chaff of our lives is only part of His plans for us. We are to grow the wheat so we can be of service to Him. For example, one thing that's working for me right now is the one ministry I'm involved in at church. It's the cookie ministry. Every other month or so, I bake cookies to be passed out to the visitors for that Sunday. That's one small step for me, and the family loves that I make a whole bunch of cookies. lol I have the list of things I'm supposed to be involved in, but haven't implemented it yet. I need to get moving. I need to get proactive, and leave the procrastination behind. I've been praying about how to do that.

Here's how. I look at the book of Revelation and see the many different ways God blesses us with it. The prophesy, the hope, and the planning. Yes, you read that right, the planning. God didn't say, "You know, I just don't have it in me to corral you all to go where you should. Do what you're going to do. Go with the flow." No. He has a plan that is incredibly beautiful and effective. First, the wake-up calls - the seals. Wars, earthquakes, famines, economic collapses. Then, after He has your attention, He begins the judgements to get those who are undecided to repent. The trumpets bring in more earthquakes, seas turned into blood, Wormwood, night and day changed, torture by those deviant locusts called Abaddon, killer horses and riders. We're talking some heavy duty judgements that are not just to punish, but to give those who will time to change their minds and come into the Kingdom. But God, out of His love for us, will give us two witnesses to show us His love and the way to repent. Then the earthquake when the two witnesses are called into Heaven. The seventh trumpet brings an electrical storm like no other! After the judgements comes God's wrath, and things get really bad!

God could end everything in one fell swoop. The fact that He planned out in such detail how to give us so many chances to turn to Him shows His love for us. How can I not take the time to plan out my day, according to His will? I've been doing that for the past few days, and it's really effective. Our next Bible study will be about time management, so hang in there for that. In order to grow the wheat in our lives, the good parts that God wants us to use in service to Him, you have to make the time to spend with Him. Then, He will show you what to do with the rest of your day. God gives us this in

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Seek Him first, and He will show you what to do.

I hope that this helps to give you some encouragement in your own lives. It's time for us to lay down some things and pick up the better things that God has for us. I'm getting more and more excited as His plan for this blog, and the direction He's taking my life right now, plays out. Even if no one ever reads this, He is showing me so much. I feel God's grace pouring out in my life. I have goals in my life that He's still showing me what they are and how to do them. I'll go ahead and post those when I feel like I'm at a place where I can share them.