The Right Tools

 

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

 

As I was trying to cut a cantaloupe with a chef’s knife, I realized it was dangerous.

As I was choosing a different knife, I remembered my husband talking about how important the right tools are to do a job well. As a carpenter, he insists on it, even when the accountant in him tells him to make something else work!

If I didn’t want a bloody cutting board (which, sadly, I have a bit of a reputation for creating – even though it’s been years since it happened!), I needed a different knife. A smaller knife, a chopped up cantaloupe, and no blood. Mission accomplished!

Over many years of cooking, I recognize the problems much sooner than I used to (often started by my desire to minimize the work I have to do).  Sometimes, to be safe, thorough, or to make something taste good, I have to take the long, work intensive route, and make more dishes and take more time.

Everyday life is like this. When we take the time to be prepared with the right tools, things go better than if we take whatever we have and try to make it fit the work we are doing. This is true in every area of life, including marriage and raising children.

God has given us the greatest teaching tool of all time. We are to use it for ourselves and then to teach our children. This one tool, the Word of God, will then prepare us and give us other tools to take on any little “job” that comes our way.

And, like other tools, the more we use it and apply what we learn to our lives, the better we will know and understand how it works in each situation. Every time we see how God has instructed us for our own good, the more we trust applying His Word to the next situation. This causes our faith to grow and the process of sanctification to progress.

Biblically, there are times when we are to speak up and be loud about things. Other times we need to step back, be silent, and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. Sometimes we need to be gentle to show love but sometimes, following the example of Christ, we have to say hard things in no uncertain terms.  The Bible says we are to help our parents and family members but it also says that following Christ may divide our families. When do we apply which “tool”?

We can know when to do what by the leading of God’s Spirit, whom we get to know by studying His Word.

Practice and experience told me that my chosen knife was not the right one for the job. By practicing regular Bible Study, God’s Spirit will tell us what words (what Word is) are right for our “job.”

Do we know enough of what the Bible says that He can use it as a tool in us?