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I believe it is important that we realize and always keep in mind that it
is by the strength and power of Almighty God that we are successful in the
things He has called us to do. If we depend on our own strength and will,
then we will eventually burn out and fail. I encourage you to always pray
and make time to read the Bible. This way you will always be sharp and
you will recognize when God is leading you in the direction that He knows
is best for your life. Be encouraged and know the more you spend time
with the Lord, the more you will be strengthened and blessed to accomplish
all that God has for you to do.
The story below illustrates how we can be successful in life on our own
strength, but sooner or later we will get dull and need to be sharpened
and this can only take place by spending time with the Lord and allowing
Him to refresh us. I hope you will be blessed by this message.
SHARPEN YOUR AXE
A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a
job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you chop down this
tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully chopped down a great
tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday."
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by -- and Thursday afternoon
the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your
paycheck on the way out today."
Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Friday."
"Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today
because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've
dropped from first place on Monday to last place today."
"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave
last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"
The foreman, sensing the young man's integrity, thought for a minute and
then asked, "Have you been sharpening your axe?"
The young man replied, "No sir, I've been working too hard to take time
for that!"
Author Unknown
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time
to "sharpen the ax." In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier
than ever but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have
forgotten how to stay sharp?
There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn't want us
to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like
taking time to pray, to read and study scriptures or to listen to "The
still small voice of God." We all need time to relax, to think and
meditate, to learn and grow. If we don't take time to sharpen the axe, we
will become dull and lose our effectiveness to be better ministers and
witnesses for Christ.
I encourage you to spend time with the Lord. Pour out your heart to Him,
confess your sins, ask Him to guide and lead you to the best place where
He wants you to be and you will see God faithfully answer your prayers and
refresh you from the inside out.
Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy that is freely offered to each
one of us.
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but
thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land."
Deuteronomy 8:18 "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he
that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant
which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."
Isaiah 40:29-31 "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no
might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
All scriptures can be found in the King James Version.
To God belongs all the Glory, Honor and Praise for the many great things
He has done with this ministry.
In Christ Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry
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