Sanctification - The Threshing Floor
He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ is building his house upon the shifting sand. Ellen G. White
Sanctification is a process of renewing our minds, cleansing ourselves of our old nature, and becoming like Christ. Sanctification is an ongoing process and not something we can do in our own strength or through sheer willpower. It is a process only Jesus can work out in our lives, simply because sanctification is His purpose for us. It is His purpose for us to be ready to be used by Him for His good work (2 Timothy 2:21)
God has created each of us as unique human beings and will use a different path of sanctification for each one of us. Very often, our path of sanctification will be dotted with trials and hardships. It’s in these trials and hardships that Jesus meets us with His hand of grace and mercy extended to us. The threshing floor is such a powerful illustration of God’s hand of grace and mercy in our sanctification. The threshing floor in the Bible was a place where harvested sheaves of wheat were beaten, and the wholesome grain was separated from the unpalatable chaff. The mixture of grain and chaff would then be picked up by the winnowing fork so that the chaff could be blown away by the wind, leaving only the grain behind. The grain is what God is after so that He can use it in the work He has for us.
God Meets Us At The Threshing Floor
The threshing floor reminds me of Gideon (Judges 6). In the days of the judges, Israel was being tormented by the Midianites, who mercilessly stole everything they worked hard for. We find Gideon in a winepress, an unusual threshing floor, threshing wheat because he was afraid the Midianites would steal his grain. His fear caused him to believe that God had abandoned them. It causes him to doubt that the God who had performed miracles in the past could rescue him and his people again (Judges 6:13). But the threshing floor where fear gripped him was the place where God spoke to him. It was the place where God gave him his assignment and assured him that He would be with him. However, before God could use Gideon, He had to hone his character. He needed to take him through a process of sanctification so that he could be used to do His good work. It was on the threshing floor that Gideon’s character was changed. He was no longer timid, but bold and courageous. He was no longer in a place of doubt and unbelief, but a place where faith and trust in a miracle-working God reigned in his heart.
God wants to meet us at our threshing floor, so that he can separate the wholesome grain that gives us spiritual sustenance from the unpalatable chaff. God sees the chaff in our hearts. He wants to use his winnowing fork so that the chaff, everything that hinders us from being used by Him, is blown away - pride, arrogance, anger, selfish ambition, divisive attitudes, envy and all our other baser inclinations. When we nail these to the cross, we allow Holy Spirit to lead us. We allow God to sanctify us and create in us pure hearts that bear the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-24). Fruit for His kingdom and His glory.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
Reflection
Are you going through trials and hardships at the moment that could be a place of threshing and winnowing? Ask God to show you the chaff He wants to remove from your life.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for Your sanctification. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me. remove the chaff from my heart, Lord. Help me yield to Holy Spirit so that my old nature can be nailed to the cross. Help me to produce fruit that will last. Fruit that You can use for Your kingdom and for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
