Two men were given the task of cutting down a tree and chopping it into smaller pieces for firewood. The first man went straight away and began chopping at the tree. The second on the other hand, found a spot under his tree and went to work for the next hour or two simply sharpening his axe. The first man thought that was a waste of time and from the looks of it, it seemed like he was right because he was making quite some progress. As he progressed on however, he had to use more and more effort because his axe was dull and soon he got tired. The second man on the other hand as soon as he finished sharpening his axe worked swiftly with less effort until his task was done. A dull axe meant harder work chopping through fallen trees. The sharper the axe the less effort and energy required for the task. Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the axe is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. I see a lesson here. How many of us are exerting so much energy for the Kingdom, but are working with dull axes? We need to sharpen our spiritual lives, get focused in prayer and spend deep time in the Word. Then, when we are “out in the woods”, working for the Kingdom our effectiveness will be greatly multiplied because our axes are sharp! Don’t get so busy that your ax becomes dull. We all need to realize that the priority is to sharpen the axe and that is something no other person can do for you. I was amazed the other day when I came across a website that was promoting some sort of electronic prayers at a fee. They were saying how life has become so busy that we have no time for prayer and proposing they have the solution for that. At a fee you send in your prayer requests and they send you some computer programme that does the praying for you. That’s how lost the society we live in has become. The truth of the matter is this: the closer you are in communion with God, the more effective you will be for Him. When it comes to communing with the Lord, there are no shortcuts. You have to pray, you have to read the word, and you have to obey His instructions. Nothing can substitute your devotion to the Lord and His word, and that is the only thing that will sharpen your spiritual life, especially before you start the day. Prioritize your devotional life and watch how your “edge” will cut through the problems, obstacles and difficult situations, like a hot knife through butter! Practical Application. Sharpen your axe through prayer and reading the word daily before you begin chopping on your tree... PST JMO Sharpening Your axe by Devotion to the Lord and His WordSharpening Your axe by Devotion to the Lord and His Word
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:32:49 +0000
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