Christian Living

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Ecclesiastes 10:10 “If the axe is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.”

This ax is our mind, and the sharpener is God's Word. If you do not spend daily time in God's Word your mind will get dulled making it harder to make decisions, answer questions from those who challenge your faith, and witness effectively.

We go through our day with constant choices we must choose between. Some are obvious on whether it is God's will or not. Others may not be if you haven't been sharpening your ax. Even the question of God's purpose for your life can be very hard if not nearly impossible to figure out if you are not studying the Bible in order to learn how to discover it.

Atheists can bring up some very hard questions. They can quote scripture straight from the Bible that can sound shocking if you have not taken time to study that passage, review the surrounding scripture, understand the context in which it was written, and what the original writer was trying to say. To a Christian who does not spend much time in the Word these questions can shake their faith. How are we to answer these atheists when they twist scripture completely, and we haven't even bothered reading and studying it?

We are to go out into the highways and byways to bring people into a relationship with God, but I know firsthand that when I was not studying and knowledgeable of the Word I was too intimidated to speak to people about God. I was afraid they would ask me something and I would not have the answer. It has happened too. It was not really humiliating, but I was very disappointed in myself because if I had the answers the outcome of that conversation may have been this young man's salvation. That happened 14 years ago, and I remember it to this day as a constant reminder on why I must be studying.

So sharpen you ax. Be ready all the time! 2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."

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