Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat: but I have prayed for
you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again,
strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32).
Hey Gang: Have you ever felt like Satan was trying to "sift you life wheat?" I know that feeling. But, Jesus said, "I have prayed for you!"
Wow, the Son of God, who died to take the sins of the world away and
free us from the bondage of our iniquities, sits at the right hand of the
Father and prays for you and me. Can you
say "Thank you Jesus?" His prayed that "our faith will not fail" and when we do fail in our walk
with Him, "we will turn around and
strengthen the brethren".
I can remember, as a boy, my grandmother making apple
dumplings for the family. Wow, do I like
apple dumplings. Anyway she always
sifted the flour, I thought to remove the impurities but I suspect it was to
spread the flour evenly over the dough.
I have since learned that to sift means to separate. I believe God
seeks to separate us from our sins.
Remember the story of the silversmith? He takes the impure
ore and places it on the fire until it melts and the impurities rise to the
top. When is it pure? When he can see his face in the silver. When are we pure, when we are molded into the
image of His Son, Father can see his reflection in us.
James talks about
growing stronger in the Lord through our experiences in alligator alley. This is also the story of the growth of the
church. Without ‘sifting’, even suffering, we can become very weak and lazy. It is the sifting experiences that prepare
us for the "go" command
given by Jesus (Matt 28:19).
The disciples had been with Jesus for nearly three years and
had sufficient knowledge to do as Christ had prepared them to do but, that
knowledge had to be transferred from head knowledge to action. Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, resurrection and
ascension back to the Father, moved them from the gawking stage to the action
mode. If there had been no sand paper
experiences, the disciples may have remained in Jerusalem and the gospel would
have died on the vine.
Satan's plan from day one is to divide and conquer. Many like to think that Satan is one smart
dude. But, his true purpose is to
destroy the Jews and church, so that Jesus has no place and no family to return
to.
But, think about that for a moment.
If you were trying to reduce the number and everyplace that you
persecuted the believers the church grew by leaps and bounds, would you not
stop persecuting the source of growth?
I, therefore, nominate Satan for the "dunce chair" in the
moron's club.
Sooooo, the major point that Jesus is making in these
verses: “Yes, Satan does place a bull’s eye on the back of every believer and
continually waits for those times when our armor is spit polished and hanging
in a closet and not affixed to our mortal bodies. When God asked Satan where he's been? Satan remarked
"roaming about the earth"
(Job 1).
I suspect as the prophetic clock continues to count down to
the coming of Jesus. Satan is roaming with a great deal more intensity seeking whom he may devourer (I Peter
5:8). But look up for your "redemption is also drawing neigh"
(Luke 21:29) and remember "Jesus is
praying for you" (I John 17:20).
Blessings,
Gramps
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