Whet the Edge

Whet the Edge

Ecclesiastes 10:10
“If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.”

When I lived in West Virginia, our home had a wood stove that we used to heat the home in the winter time. Most of the time, my wood was already split into the size that I needed to put into the wood stove, but every once in awhile I had to use an axe to split my wood. As long as the axe was sharp, splitting the wood was not difficult. Sure, it was work, but work has never hurt anyone; however, splitting wood with a dull axe will wear you out because you are having to try and use your strength to split the wood. If the axe head is sharp, then the axe is doing most of the work, but when it is dull, you have to put more strength to it and still not get the same results that you should.

In the Christian life I have found many people who are swinging their spiritual axes with a blunt edge. Sunday school teachers are teaching their class with a blunt edge. Bus workers are running their busses with a blunt edge. Church workers are working their ministries with a blunt edge. Sadly, there are preachers who are pastoring their church with a blunt edge. They are having to do all the work, and yet they are not getting the results they could get if they would whet, or sharpen, their spiritual axe. Let me show you some things that sharpen the spiritual axe.

First, spending time daily in the Scriptures will whet your spiritual edge. If you don’t spend time with God in the Scriptures, you will find that your spiritual edge will become dull. You are not going to get the spiritual sustenance you need without spending time in God’s Word.

Second, spending time in prayer will whet your spiritual edge. Christian, you can run in the Christian life for so long on your own strength, but eventually you are going to have to spend time in prayer to get God’s strength. Prayer has a way of sharpening your spiritual edge. You will not be as sharp as you are supposed to be in the Christian life without whetting your edge.

Third, getting rid of sin will whet your edge. The quickest way to make the Christian life dull is to let sin put a blunt edge on your spiritual life. You can fake anything for awhile, but eventually sin will make your edge so dull that you will never be able to do for God what you are supposed to do.

Fourth, soul winning will whet your edge. There is nothing like leading someone to Christ that puts the edge back into the Christian life. Seeing someone you led to Christ come to church and get baptized, and then watching them grow in the LORD will put an edge on your Christian life that many don’t have. I promise you that the soul winner will have more of a spiritual edge than anyone else.

Finally, being filled with the Holy Spirit will whet the edge. All of the things above will only go so far in whetting your edge, but allowing the Holy Spirit of God to empower you to do His work will give you a razor sharp edge. It makes the work so much easier when the Holy Spirit is empowering you.

Let me ask you, is your spiritual edge blunt in life? In what area is your spiritual axe dull? A Christian who whets His spiritual axe is the Christian who will accomplish the most for Christ. I implore you to whet your edge for the sake of Christ. Be sure that you allow these things to keep you spiritually sharp so you can accomplish the work that God placed you on this Earth to do.


Being a Blessing to God

Being a Blessing to God

Psalm 103:2

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:"

We often talk about how God was a blessing to us, but I wonder how often we are a blessing to God. Can you imagine how God must feel when He is good to His children and they are never a blessing to Him? This is sad! You would think of all the people whom we would try to be a blessing to that God would be at the top of the list. Yet, one the most forgotten person in many Christian's lives is God.

Psalm 103 often says, "Bless the LORD,..." Do you understand that God desires that you would be a blessing to Him? God would not say this phrase eighteen times in the Scriptures if He didn't want you to be a blessing to Him. In Psalm 103 we find there are five ways that you can be a blessing to God.

First, you can be a blessing to God by serving Him with all your being. Notice God says, "Bless the LORD, O my soul,..." It is a blessing to God when He sees His children serve them with everything that they have. Whether that is little or much, it blesses God when you give your all. He doesn't ask you to serve Him with the capacity that someone else has, but He asks you to serve Him with your capacity. When you serve Him with all your soul, it blesses God.

Second, you can be a blessing to God when you revere His name. In verse 1, He says to "bless his holy name." Does it bother you when someone takes God's name in vain? It should! God's name is not a curse word! You should be very careful about using God's name in an adverse manner. Always use God's name in a reverential manner.

Third, you can be a blessing to God when you remember the benefits that He has given to you. Isn't it sad that we get more excited over the benefits our employer gives us than the benefits we get from being saved? God says that we should not forget "all his benefits." When is the last time you stopped and simply thanked God for what He has given you? This is a blessing to God when someone takes the time to simply thank Him. Don't get so busy that you forget to remember the benefits of being saved.

Fourth, you can be a blessing to God when you keep His commandments. 3 John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." Notice, it makes God happy when you obey the truths of the Word of God. Keeping God's commandments is not only good for your spiritual well-being, but it blesses God when you keep them. If there is any reason for you to obey God's commandments then it should be because you want to be a blessing to Him.

Fifth, you can be a blessing to God by being a soul winner. In verse 21 it says that it is a blessing to God to those who "do his pleasure." One of the dearest things to the heart of God is seeing souls saved. Do you realize that every time you lead someone to Jesus Christ that it's a blessing to God? Christian, if there is any reason for you to be a soul winner, it is so that you can be a blessing to God.

I challenge you not to be selfish about trying to get God's blessings, but work on being a blessing to Him. I promise you that if you will be a blessing to God, He will be a blessing to you. Always remember that God says in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;..." You be a blessing to God and He will be a blessing to you.


Job's Lessons for Child Rearing

Job's Lessons for Child Rearing

Job 42:14

"He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch."

We can learn a lot about child rearing from Job. When reading about this godly man we learn that he reared children who were very good children. Yet, after losing his children and enduring the horrible trials that came his way, he had ten more children. Three of them were girls. I don't know why the Scriptures don't give us the names of the sons, but in the names of the daughters you find three valuable lessons in rearing children. Let me show you these lessons.

He named his first daughter "Jemima," which means "dove." This is interesting because in the Scriptures the dove represents two things. First it is a symbol of peace. You will recall that Noah released a dove to see if it could find dry land, and when it did he knew that God was at peace with man. It is imperative that you teach your children to be at peace with God. The first way they need to be at peace with God is by accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. I believe it is very important that you start teaching your children at a young age about salvation and its importance. Every day you should pray with your children that they would understand what salvation is all about and accept Christ at an early age. The second way they need to be a peace with God is by doing His will for their life. Teach them to obey the Scriptures and do what God wants them to do. Whenever they obey God, they will be at peace with Him.

The dove also represents the Holy Spirit. It is highly important that you teach your children the need of being yielded to the Spirit of God. One of the greatest ways to teach them is to be yielded to God's Holy Spirit yourself. Show them how to regularly pray and yield themselves to Him. This is important if God is going to use them mightily.

Job named his second daughter "Kezia," which means "cassia." Cassia was a plant that its leaves were used in medicine and for aromatic oil. Job was showing us the importance of developing your child's personality. After you get the spiritual right, then you need to work on their personality. Make sure they have a personality that is Christ honoring. They should learn to smile and enjoy life. Of course, they are going to learn their personality from you. If you have a poor personality, then they will develop a poor personality. In all reality, you need to make sure that your personality is right so they have an example to follow. Your children will go further in life if they have a personality that is Christ honoring.

Job name his third daughter "Kerenhappuch," which means "horn of cosmetic." Now you will notice this is the last area with which parents should work with their children. Your children need to learn to properly groom themselves. They need to learn to dress properly. They need to learn how to iron their own clothes. They should learn how to properly comb or brush their hair. I know this sounds like the obvious, but sadly most children do not learn proper grooming habits. Many times they don't learn how to mix and match their clothing. It is important for your child to learn proper grooming.

Let me point out that the order Job named his children is the same order of importance we should place on each of these. Sadly, too many parents are more concerned with the cosmetic side of their children when they need to be concerned with the development of spiritual and their personality. All of these areas are important for your children to be well-rounded in life, but make sure you keep them in their proper order of importance.


And Next Unto Him

And Next Unto Him

Nehemiah 3:2

"And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri."

The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem was no small task. When Nehemiah originally planned to build the wall, I'm sure he understood the great work that was ahead. When reading the Book of Nehemiah, we often miss what made this great work happen. We certainly learn about how God used a man who was available to accomplish this great work, but we miss that this man could not do it alone. The verse above says, "And next unto him..." Nehemiah was one of many involved in the rebuilding of this wall. He could not have done it alone. It took every person being in their place to accomplish this great work.

Let me remind you that the church will never be built by one person. It always takes people like you to see a great work accomplished. Just like Nehemiah was one of many, likewise you are one of many in your church. Your church needs you to be involved in building a great work for Jesus Christ. Let me give you some thoughts about this story that I believe will be helpful to you.

First, beside every great man are a great people who build the work with him. I want you to notice that I said, "beside." Often we say behind every great work are a great group of people, but I tend to disagree with that philosophy because they must be beside the man of God doing their work. Sadly, there are many people behind the man of God watching him as he tries to do the work. No church will ever do anything much for Christ when people are behind the man of God watching. God uses people who are beside the man of God working to accomplish something great for Him. Your church doesn't need you to get behind the man of God, but it needs you to get beside the man of God and help him do the work God called all of you to do.

Second, everyone has something that they can contribute. You will notice in this story there are people from all backgrounds beside the man of God. Your background is useful to the work of the LORD. It takes people from all walks of life to help build the work of the LORD. We all can't be the same, for if that were the case the work of the LORD would not be able to reach as many people as it should. It takes people just like you with your background to get beside the man of God, and with God's help, build the work of the LORD.

Third, when you are not beside the man of God, then there is a gap in the work that cannot be filled. When you go through Nehemiah 3, you see there were many people beside Nehemiah. What if the Scriptures read, "And next unto him a person left their duty, so there was no one to build that section of the wall." This is sadly the case in most churches. There are only a few people trying to build the work of the LORD leaving gaps that cannot be filled. It is important to the work of the LORD that you are in your place of service doing what you are supposed to do. You don't want to be guilty of people going to Hell because you were not in your place of service at your church. You may not think people will actually go to Hell, but what you must understand is that everybody working together allows us the greatest possibility of reaching everyone. When one person is gone, it hurts the outreach of God's work.

Let me ask you, are you next unto your man of God? Are you beside the man of God or behind the man of God? Are you taking your talents and using them for the work of the LORD. God placed you where you are to be an impact to some degree in your church. Don't be guilty of leaving your place empty.

What If?

What If?

2 Chronicles 26:5

"And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper."

The verse above says that King Uzziah did right as long as "God made him to prosper."  Yes, the prerequisite to this was that he sought the LORD. But, what if God didn't make him to prosper? The answer is later found in that he turned away from the LORD. Uzziah was like the average person in that as long as he felt God was good to Him he served the LORD.

There is a problem with this mentality because there are going to be times when you serve the LORD that you are not going to prosper. We live in times when the prosperity preachers make it sound as if everything will be great if you serve the LORD. Certainly God blesses us when we serve Him, but God never tells us how long it will be before the blessing will come.

When you look at the Scriptures, you will find there were many men who didn't immediately see God's blessing. Abraham didn't see God's blessings immediately, but he kept doing right until his old age. Noah did right for one hundred and twenty years before he saw God's blessings. Ezekiel preached his whole life and never saw the blessing of results in his ministry. The three Hebrew children had to go through the fiery furnace before they saw the blessings of God. Many of the Old Testament prophets went years before they saw God's blessings, but they still served the LORD in spite of the lack of prosperity.

A shallow Christianity will only serve the LORD as long as God prospers. What if God didn't prosper you, would you still serve Him? Christian, you should serve the LORD because it is right and not because you are blessed. If the only reason you serve the LORD is because He is blessing you, then what are you going to do when tough times come? I can tell you what you will do, you will do exactly what Uzziah did and that was he quit serving the LORD. I have watched many Christians over the years who seemed like good Christian people, but when adversity came they stopped serving the LORD. The adversity simply revealed how shallow their Christianity really was.

There needs to come a point in your life when you decide you are going to serve the LORD no matter what. In good times and in bad times you must decide to serve the LORD. Yes, it will take character to continue to do right in adverse times, but you should serve the LORD because it is the right thing to do. You will only be successful at continuing to serve the LORD in adverse times if you stop basing your service off the blessings and place your basis of service on right and wrong. If you decide you are going to serve the LORD because it is right, whether or not you are prosperous is not going to stop you from serving the LORD.

I challenge you today to make a choice whether you are going to serve the LORD. Do you find yourself backing off from your service to the LORD when times are not as good? Then you need to make some changes! Look at God's way of life and realize it is the best way because it is the right way. If you will stay focused on that, then you have a better chance of serving the LORD when the "What if" in life comes your way.

Does God See You?

Does God See You?

2 Chronicles 16:9

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

Asa made the same mistake that we often make in that he got impatient with God and relied on man for help. Baasha, the king of Israel, intended to kill Asa. His intent was to keep anyone from going out or coming in to Judah. Asa realized his precarious situation, and hired the king of Syria to defend him. Asa's mistake was that he got impatient with God, and took things into his own hands. Asa's lack of reliance upon God caused him to lose the opportunity to destroy one of his enemies.

In the verse above, God says that He looks for someone through whom He can show His strength. God wants the opportunity to prove to the world that He is still God. Yes, God could use creation to show His power, but He chose to show His power through human beings. God could certainly show His power through manifesting Himself in visions or performing great acts in front of us, but it is through human beings He chooses to show His strength.

You must realize that if God is going to show His strength through you, then you will have to go through adverse circumstances for His power to be seen. We don't like this, but this is what the Scriptures teach. God often sends us through adversity so that His power can be seen through us. God can't show His power through us when we are going through times of ease, but it is when everything seems impossible that God's strength is revealed. When we can't do anything about our situation, and we are surrounded by adversity, then that is the moment God can step in and show His strength through you. If you run from adversity, then God can't show His strength through you. If you run to man to work out your situation, then God can't show His strength through you. You must rely completely upon God for His power to be shown through you.

Moreover, you must be patient that God will come through. God often takes us to our limits before He comes through. Let me remind you that God is rarely early, never late, but He is always on time. Asa became impatient and lost the opportunity for God to work through him. Don't become impatient with God. He knows your situation, and He knows the right time to step in and show His strength.

Furthermore, your heart must be perfect toward Him if you want His strength shown through you. This does not mean you are sinless, instead it means that your whole heart is towards God and that there is nothing else you are going to rely upon. When your heart is completely reliant upon God and His power, then that is when God finds you and shows His strength through you.

Are you facing something today that you feel is impossible? Let me encourage you to be patient and continue serving God. He will step in and rescue you. He is looking for someone through whom He can show His strength. If you will keep doing right and trust God, you will find that you won't have to find Him, but that He will find you and perform His strength through your situation.


The Means to Discovering Wisdom

The Means to Discovering Wisdom

Proverbs 8:1-2

"Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths."

The greatest need in anyone's life is the need of wisdom. The whole Book of Proverbs, God deals with the importance of wisdom. When you look at modern society, you see that most people lack wisdom. Our young people act out of foolishness sadly because they have learned foolishness from their parents. Leaders in high places seem to make foolish decisions that one wonders how they ever achieved their position with their lack of wisdom.

The verse above says that wisdom cries out. Several people have asked me how they can get wisdom in certain areas of their life. My answer is always that the Word of God has the wisdom they need. You will find in Proverbs 8 that we find where you can discover wisdom.

In verse 2, wisdom can be discovered through living right. You don't gain wisdom by living in low places, but you gain wisdom by living in high places. You will never find wisdom in places of sin, but you always find wisdom by being in places where righteousness is present.

In verse 7, you find wisdom in truth. It's sad how much truth has been avoided. Today's society seems to think that truth is relevant, but it is not. Truth never changes! If you want to find wisdom, then look for truth.

In verse 10, you find wisdom through instruction. This would seem to be a given. One of the reasons you should listen to instruction is because you will find the wisdom you need in life through it. Whether the instruction is done at home, church or at work, you will always find wisdom through instruction given.

In verse 13, you find wisdom through the fear of God. When you respect what God's power can do to you and for you, then you will find wisdom. It is amazing how the fear of God causes people to make wise decisions. They will make wise decisions because of a fear of what happens if their decision goes against God's will.

These are just some of the areas where wisdom is found; however, I find there is a common denominator in discovering wisdom. Awareness is the key to discovering wisdom. When you're aware of your lifestyle, in what you and others say, in the instruction given and through fearing God, you will see wisdom crying out in these areas. It really isn't that hard to find wisdom if you will simply be aware in all that you do.

Let me encourage you to become aware in all that you do. Don't go through life with your eyes closed, but have an awareness in everything you do. When someone is talking to you, be aware. When you're reading God's Word, be aware. When you're serving the LORD, be aware. When you're around instruction, be aware. Awake the awareness in your life and you will find wisdom is all around. The key to discovering wisdom is simply being aware in all that you do and in every place you go. If you live a life of awareness, you will find that God has provided you with the wisdom you need for your daily life.


What's Your Music Preaching?

What's Your Music Preaching?

1 Chronicles 25:1

"Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:"

Music plays an important part in everyone's life. Music is so important to God that He created one of the archangels who was to lead the music in Heaven. Of course, Lucifer was that angel. When he fell, he also knew how to pervert music so that he could destroy God's people.

One of the reasons music is so important is because of the message it preaches. In the verse above, David set the sons of Asaph apart so they could "prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals:..." Isn't it interesting that they were not prophesying with sermons that they preached or with words that they spake, but they prophesied with their music. This is very important to understand because music is a sermon, and every song preaches a sermon. Your music should preach a song that keeps your body, soul and spirit in harmony with God. Any music that preaches something that brings your body out of harmony with itself and God is wrong music.

Let me ask you, what is your music preaching? What are the words in the music you listen to preaching? The music you listen to should be music that has words that glorify God. The Scriptures commands us to give God glory in all that we do, and that would include your music. Music is not to glorify man, but it is to glorify God. There are some who say they don't listen to the words, but only to the music. That mentality is wrong because those words are preaching a sermon. Whether or not you think you are listening to the words, those words are still going into your heart and soul. You should only listen to music that preaches the right words.

Let me ask you another question. What are the lives of those who sing the songs you listen to preaching? It is as important that you listen to the right people as it is the right words. Christian, the life of an individual will preach a louder sermon than the words they sing. There are many who sing songs that their life preaches something different than what you would live or believe. You should not listen to those whose lives conflict to the words they preach in music.

Furthermore, what is the melody of your music preaching. That is the sound that accompanies the words. Many people try to justify wrong music because the words are fine, but you must understand the music also preaches a sermon. To the lost world, a worldly melody preaches the wrong sermon. You want a melody that preaches holiness, purity and harmony. You want a melody that points someone to Jesus Christ. Let me ask you, if you took the words away from your music, would the world be able to tell that it's Christian music? Your music preaches a sermon with its melody, and you are to be sure that it preaches the sermon that would glorify God and point people to Him.

Let me encourage you to go through your music and be sure that your music is preaching the right sermon. God said they were to "prophesy with harps..." In other words, your music prophecies your future. If your music has the wrong message, then your future will be dark. Always remember that your life will eventually become like the sermon your music preaches. With the music you listen to, what is it prophesying about your future?