Such is the case with a half dozen squirrels that hang out around our home. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but I have managed to become friends with these little creatures, so much so that they come looking for me. They love salted peanuts. They now eat out of my hand. Mrs. Jones, on a few occasions, has come into our kitchen and found one of my little friends looking for me (the kitchen door being open on a warm day). And, on one occasion, one of my little friends crept into my office in our garage, looking for me. They have even learned where I keep them and I have heard them rummaging in the peanut bag. These are my friends. I have gained their trust. But, more important than the great pleasure I get from feeding them salted peanuts is a lesson that I have learned from them as I have watched them up close. The picture above is a true representation of these cute little critters eating the peanut. I watch them as they begin the process of GETTING TO THE PEANUT. They spit out the shell. They know where the peanut is. They also know the difference between the shell and the peanut. They simply spit out the shell and eat the peanuts one by one. As soon as they are finished they begin swishing their bushy tail, their nose twitches, their eyes sparkle, and it is clear that they are ready for another round. THEY SPIT OUT THE SHELL IN ORDER TO GET TO THE PEANUT. Oh, they create a mess (the shells always do), but they have brought me so much pleasure that I don’t mind cleaning up their mess.
There is another of God’s creatures that provides further impetus to the lesson that I hope will come through loud and clear. This comes from my growing up in the Deep South in a rural environment. Did you know that you can throw corn in gravel and a goose will scoop up both gravel and corn. The lesson here is that the goose has the ability to know the difference between gravel and corn. He will spit out the gravel and swallow the corn…naturally.
The spiritual lesson here is that every person who names the name of Christ needs to pray for these same God-given instincts. We need to realize that in order to get to the peanut we will have to spit out the shell. There is no food value in the shell. Yes, the peanut needed the shell in which to grow and be preserved. And, inside this shell that we call our body there is something of value…our soul. There is within each of us a yen for God, a hunger for better things, a desire to one day lay aside this old house of clay and present to God that which His Son died to redeem.
And, there is certainly a lesson to be learned from the goose. Are we as smart as a goose? Not always! We lack discernment when it comes to what is gravel and what is corn…what to swallow and what to spit out. There are many voices. There is every wind of doctrine blowing. We need to be careful when it comes to what we swallow and what we spit out. Nobody is all together right in his/her doctrine (philosophy or opinion). As God’s Word tells us, we need to use caution. We need to “prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and we need to follow the instruction given by John in his first epistle: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (m. examine) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Pray for wisdom! Get understanding, Solomon wrote. The human spirit is gullible. It judges books by the cover. It so easily gets caught up in the “hype” that prevails on television and in many pulpits today. Where I was raised, I often heard the old-timers say, “never buy a pig in a poke.”
In closing, let me challenge you to realize that the shell – if you hope to get the benefit of the nut inside, and your spiritual man is going to be fed – must be spit out. Paul spoke of it as crucifying the flesh with the lusts thereof. There is value inside of you. Cater not to the shell – the external – the carnal man. Life is like a gravel road. There is good and bad. The gravel is often mixed with the corn. Pray for the wisdom to know the difference. SPIT OUT THE GRAVEL!
Pastor Jerry Jones