Don’t Be Chaff

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

“But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.  They will be condemned at the time of judgment.  Sinners will have no place among the godly.  For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” -Psalm 1:4-6 NLT

Are you the chaff or are you the grain?

Chaff is the husk, outer shell of the grain, and it goes through a process of threshing (getting the edible part of the grain loosened, a separating of the valuable kernel of grain from the outer shell) and winnowing (tossing the grain in the air to separate the inedible chaff from the edible grain).  What is the difference between the kernel of grain and the chaff?  The grain is useful and valuable.  However, the chaff is worthless and is of no use to anyone or anything.  The chaff and the grain are tossed in the air, the chaff is very light and is blown in every direction by the slightest wind.  In other words, the chaff has no direction, no substance, and is no good to eat.

Each of us has been designed with purpose and significance.  However, not every person, who has been designed with purpose and significance, will choose to walk in the purpose and step into the destiny that God has for them.  EACH OF US HAS A CHOICE IF WE WILL WALK IN THE PURPOSE GOD HAS DESIGNED US FOR.  We will either choose to be chaff or grain.

As children of God, Christ has chosen us to go and bear fruit as we see in John 15:16 which states, “You didn’t choose me.  I chose you.  I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit…”

How do you know whether you are the chaff (wicked)?“But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.” The chaff in this verse are those who are wicked, those who do not follow the ways of God, those who are living for themselves, those who treat what is holy as common, and those who are indifferent to the things of God.  The chaff are those who are “Sinners” and “will have no place among the godly.  For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.”

How do you know if you are the grain (godly)?  If you are the grain, then you do NOT take counsel from those who are the chaff (wicked).  You do NOT entertain mockers or scoffers or those who practice a life of sin (unrepentant life of any sin).  You delight yourself in His instructions and His laws.  You reflect on God and His ways and seek to do what pleases Him day and night.  You walk in obedience because you love Him.  Because you are grain, you are what Psalm 1:3 says, “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

Today is the day to choose because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow:  “CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.” Being the grain or being the chaff is a matter of spiritual life or death.  Be like Joshua when he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD “

No one can make the choice for you or me.  Each of us is responsible before God as to how we live whether we live for God or whether we live for self.  All is exposed before the eyes of God.  CHOOSE you this day whom you will serve.

Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me, for calling me to go forth and bear the fruits of righteousness and holiness. My joy is found only in You, Father, and there is no other place where salvation is found. You, O God, are my Salvation. You alone have the Words of Life, and You are the Fountain of Living Water. Before You, help me to keep my resolve to live uprightly before You and to walk in holiness before You that I may be counted amongst the righteous and be with You for eternity. Because of Your Spoken Word, O Lord, I know I am made clean. Be my Strength, my Portion, and my Song forever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Linda A. Knowles

The Horrible Crabapple Tree, Plastic Sandwich Bag, & Disgruntled Me

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles
APPLE TREE 1On the property of the house I grew up in, there was a Crabapple Tree, and I despised the tree.  As a kid, I blamed the tree for the miserable apples it produced, giving me the displeasure of having to pick up all the apples falling from it onto the ground. I hated picking up those apples, and I most often could be heard shouting, “I hate this!” and “Stupid apples!”
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I braced myself before I started that chore, put a plastic sandwich bag on my hand because of how rotten they were, and then I would begin.  It was the worst chore, but I had only two options to go outside and complete my chore OR be grounded.  I chose to complete my chore.  All I wanted was for the Crabapple Tree to work with me.  I wasn’t asking for a lot when I shouted at the tree, “Work with me!  Not against me.”
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It was an absolutely beautiful tree, but the fruit was rotten.

WHAT KIND OF TREE ARE YOU?

APPLE TREE 3
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Are you a good tree producing good fruit, or are you a bad tree, like the Crabapple Tree in this story, producing rotten fruit?
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Jesus had this to say in Luke 6:43-45, “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit.  For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.  The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” -John 15:16

As a child of God, you are chosen by Jesus to go forth and bear much fruit.  How you conduct yourself is very important because unbelievers are watching you especially if you are witnessing to them about the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Some will try to push you to the edge to see how you will react, and so there must be a noticeable difference between you and those who are unbelievers.  Your conduct and your speech must line up together.  If the unbeliever cannot tell the difference between you and them, then there is a problem.  All of us are to be lights in this dark world.  If you live like the world while claiming to be a child of God, you are fooling yourself and still living in darkness (1 John 1:1-8).
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In 1 Samuel 9:2, King Saul is described as handsome.  God, however, saw King Saul’s heart.  King Saul did not do the will of God, bearing the fruits of disobedience and being more concerned about the approval of man.
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God tells Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 
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And God is still telling us the same thing today.  God wants us to do His will, and when we do His will out of obedience and devotion to Him, we are producing good fruit.  When we spend time in prayer, the Holy Spirit is working in us, convicting us, changing us.  When we conform our will to the Lord’s will, we will produce good fruit.  The only reason we are able to bear the fruit God wants us to bear is because of His grace and His mercy, and as His Holy Spirit guides and leads us into His Truth, we bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control.
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What fruit are you bearing?  Are your actions and your words lining up together?  Are you walking the walk and not just talking the talk?  Is there a noticeable difference between you and the unbeliever?

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”  (2 Peter 3:9)

 Much Love To You All,
L.A.  Knowles