Sharpen Your Axe.
I believe it is important that we realize and always keep in mind that it is by the strength and power of Almighty God that we are successful in the things He has called us to do. If we depend on our own strength and will, then we will eventually burn out and fail.
This story illustrates how we can be successful in life on our own strength but sooner or later we will get dull and need to be sharpened and this can only take place by spending time with the Lord and allowing Him to refresh us.
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A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job.
"That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree."
The young man stepped forward and skilfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday."
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by - and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your pay check on the way out today."
Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Friday."
"Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last place today."
"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"
The foreman, sensing the young man's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your axe?"
The young man replied, "No sir, I've been working too hard to take time for that!"
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Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to "sharpen the axe." In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever but less happy than ever.
Why is that? Could it be that we have been working too hard that we have forgotten to stay sharp?
There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn't want us to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like taking time to pray, to read and study scripture or to listen to "the still small voice of God."
Spend time with the Lord. Pour out your heart to Him, confess your sins, ask Him to guide and lead you to the best place where He wants you to be and you will see God faithfully answer your prayers and refresh you from the inside out.
Deuteronomy 8:18 "But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is he that giveth you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it is this day."
Stay Blessed!
This story illustrates how we can be successful in life on our own strength but sooner or later we will get dull and need to be sharpened and this can only take place by spending time with the Lord and allowing Him to refresh us.
+++
A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job.
"That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree."
The young man stepped forward and skilfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday."
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by - and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your pay check on the way out today."
Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Friday."
"Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last place today."
"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"
The foreman, sensing the young man's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your axe?"
The young man replied, "No sir, I've been working too hard to take time for that!"
+++
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to "sharpen the axe." In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever but less happy than ever.
Why is that? Could it be that we have been working too hard that we have forgotten to stay sharp?
There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn't want us to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like taking time to pray, to read and study scripture or to listen to "the still small voice of God."
Spend time with the Lord. Pour out your heart to Him, confess your sins, ask Him to guide and lead you to the best place where He wants you to be and you will see God faithfully answer your prayers and refresh you from the inside out.
Deuteronomy 8:18 "But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is he that giveth you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it is this day."
Stay Blessed!
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