I struggled for a long time with what to call this blog. I wanted it to be something meaningful, not only to me, but to others as well. I finally decided to call it Threshing Floor Thoughts, because the threshing floor is a significant place, and it represents a place that most folks have been if they have been a Christian for very long. It’s a place of hardship, but also a place of refinement and breakthrough.
When we are saved, it is by grace and by the blood of Jesus. We are justified by faith (Romans 5:1). Which is a HUGE miracle in itself, and the Word says a cause for celebration not just here on earth but even in the heavenlies (Luke 15:10). It’s life-changing. It’s eternity changing! But what now?
The scriptures say that we are not to stay “baby Christians” living on the “milk” of the Word, but that we (1 Corinthians 3:2-8) are to study, learn, and mature (Ephesians 4:13-15). I know so many churches that get up and preach salvation every Sunday. Don’t misunderstand, salvation is obviously important, in fact, it’s the MOST important. And folks should always have an invitation and opportunity to be redeemed by the Savior. But how does preaching salvation every Sunday help a church full of folks that have been saved for years? It doesn’t help them mature. We must live here on Earth until we are called home and we are supposed to be OVERCOMERS! It’s a truly sad thing to see somebody that has been saved for decades, but that has never grown up in his/her faith.
So how do we mature? Sanctification. What is Sanctification? Webster says that sanctification means to set apart for a sacred purpose. Believers consider it to mean that we are striving to live a holy life and become more Christ-like. We are called to be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). It’s a process, y’all. There is a learning curve. It’s a journey. As we live and move and have our being in Him, life happens. We must learn (if you are like me, sometimes the hard way) to listen to the leading of the Spirit and seek His will.
That brings us to the threshing floor. There is much talk in scripture about the threshing floor. Ruth met Boaz on the threshing floor, Joshua threw out his fleeces and sought God’s will on the threshing floor, David built an altar there and it later became a temple site, Uzzah was struck down for touching the ark of the covenant when it crossed the threshing floor, battles were fought there, and thieves came there to steal the harvest. It is where the harvest was processed.
The threshing floor is a large, usually outdoor, flat round surface. There were large boards that had holes drilled in them and rocks inserted into the holes. Those were called tribulum boards (where we get our word “tribulation”). The wheat was spread out on the floor and animals (maybe a donkey, or cattle) were walked across the boards. That put pressure on the wheat and released the grain. The plant is crushed to separate the wheat grain (the useful part) from the chaff (the junk, or the part that was useless). The last part of the process to perfect the grain was the sieving. There were still bits of debris left from the rocks, so the grain was shaken and sieved, or screened, much like a strainer you would use in your kitchen today.
So, how many of y’all have been to the threshing room floor (spiritually speaking)? The threshing floor is a place of refinement, striving toward perfection. It’s a place of separation of the good stuff from the trash in your life and the things that could make problems for you. It’s a separation from the bad habits, the sin, the wickedness and transgressions. It is a separation from things you may not have even known were in you. So, have you been through tribulation and trouble? (John 16:33 says we will have tribulation.) Have you had pressure put on you? Have you been crushed? Have you been dragged across the rocks again and again? Has your life been shaken? Threshing is not fun. It is work. It is pain. But it is necessary to release the grain, and to perfect the harvest, and we are promised that He will never leave or forsake us. WE are the GOOD SEEDS of the HARVEST, y’all!! (Matthew 13:37-39) And Jewish history tells us that after the grain is perfected, it’s put into jars marked with the owner’s name (so that everybody knew who it belonged to) and sealed. Hallelujah! Who is your master? To whom do you belong? Whose name is on your jar?
As I go along in my walk with God, trying to learn and mature, being pressured, crushed, refined and separated, I have learned some things. Some lessons have been harder than others, and I think a few have had to be taught more than once because I didn’t get them the first time. Can any of you relate to that? I am still learning things. I’m far from being the finished grain! I’m still being refined because He is not nearly finished working on me yet! The purpose of this blog is to convey to you, the reader, some of the things I have learned along the way. My prayer is that by communicating with y’all, you will possibly see things from a perspective that you had not considered before. There is a quote that I love that says, “Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others.” So let’s get together, learn from each other, and share our successes, failures, some laughs, and our thoughts from the threshing floor!
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