Jump Start # 739

Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.

Keep the axe sharp! This is a great principle. A woodsman looses time when he stops to sharpen the axe, but he will cut more wood with less energy if the axe remains sharp. I shared this concept with the leaders of the congregation recently. This is a great thought for all of us to remember.

Jesus, in the midst of healing and teaching, got with the apostles and went to a secluded place. News had been received of the death of John the Baptist. Not only was Jesus related, but this death was a vivid reminder of His own violent death that was on the horizon. Jesus could have taught more, healed more, but there was a need to keep the axe sharp.

God arranged for Israel weekly have a rest. It was called the Sabbath. No traveling. No working. No cooking. It was a time to humbly reflect and connect with God. It was a time for family. Every week. God saw the need for that. It was axe sharpening time!

We are missing that in our lives. We run ragged, full speed until a holiday or a vacation and even then, we do not rest. Tired and weary, we keep chopping and chopping, but seem to get less done. We need to keep the axe sharp!

Here are some ways to keep your axe sharp!

1. Find ways to unwind mentally. A good book, a walk in the neighborhood, hitting some golf balls, going to bed early, sleeping in on a Saturday—our minds need a break. The pressures of work and the world make us dull. Keep the axe sharp. Turn off the cell phone. Think. Count your blessings. Take inventory of your life. Make sure you’re still on the right course. Rest the mind! Sharpen the axe.

2. Connect with God often. Prayer is amazing. Reading Scriptures helps. It doesn’t have to be a ton of verses, just a few. Think about them. Let them stew in your mind. Verses such as ours today, “keeping the axe sharp” gives you much to think about. It seems that when we are weary, God gets the short end of the deal. He shouldn’t.  Stay focused upon God.

3. Challenge yourself. Tackle a subject, read a technical study, volunteer, help someone, get out of your comfort zone. These things break routine and help us build character, shed some spiritual light and the benefits are we have helped others, grown mentally or spiritually oursevles, and developed ourselves.

Keeping your axe sharp does not mean you have to take a cruise, a college class or something else that is expensive or very involved. It’s taking some time for yourself so you can get back into the battle of things. The purpose of keeping the axe sharp is so more wood can be cut. A dull axe, a dull mind, a tired body, a bored Christian, a weary marriage, a purposeless future is no way to live. Too many do. They keep going, getting duller and duller. Preachers would do well to grasp this passage. A dull sermon makes a dull congregation. Sharpen the axe, man! Be fresh. Think and challenge yourself! Start writing your own version of a daily Jump Start! Get out of the norm!

Keep the axe sharp! Do you recognize when you are getting dull? Do you recognize when those around you are getting dull? Spending time sharpening the axe is time well spent!

Roger