"Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenence of his friend." Proverbs 27:17
I heard the story of a young man that came to a logging camp seeking for work. The foreman said "Lets see you cut down a tree." The young man quickly cut a large tree and fell it exactly as planned. The foreman said "You're hired. You can start tomorrow" One, two, three, four days passed. The foreman called the young man and instructed him he could pick up his check on the way out today. "I thought we get paid tomorrow!" said the young man. "Everyone else does, I am letting you go today" replied the foreman. Shocked, the young man said, "But why? The foreman said, "You have fallen behind in your daily quota. You have moved from first place to last." "But I'm a hard worker!" said the young man. "I start early and work late, and even work through my breaks!" "I know" said the foreman. "Let me ask you, is your axe sharp?" "I have been working so hard,"said the young man, "that I haven't had time to stop and sharpen it!"
Is your axe sharp?
Are you so busy that you haven't taken the time to sharpen your tools? Sometimes we can be so busy that we think we are making an impact, but are so dull that we are not cutting anything. This scripture in Proverbs tells us that "Iron sharpens iron..." When sharpening an axe you use a wet stone and honing oil. A little oil wets the stone to allow a smoothness in the sharpening. This is a perfect example of the Holy Spirit working through those close to you, allowing yourself to become vulnerable. They are there to help you, not to hurt you. Don't get so busy that you cannot take time away to spend with those close to you. Even Jesus took His discples away to the mountains. But He even took time away from them to get alone with His Father in prayer. Take time to sharpen your axe, and see how much more productive you will be for the Kingdom of God.
