Just One Of My Tools 5/7/2021

 Good Morning,

It has been aa long night. My wife and I have been nursing one of our dogs who is ill all night. I really needed this cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee sitting next to me. It's time to write.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 

I am one of those guys who carries a pocket knife wherever I go. It was a tradition I picked up from my grandfather. My dad carried one sometimes but not all the time. I don't feel totally dressed unless I have that small pocket knife with me. Very seldom am I without it. I have used the knife to open letters, cut rope or string, slice open boxes, remove a sliver of wood from my hand, cut a sandwich, clean a pheasant, goose or duck, sharpen a pencil, tighten a screw in a pair of glasses, cut lilacs for the table. I believe you get the picture. My small knife is a tool for me. I use that knife more than any tool I own. But in order for it to be useful I need to take it with me and I need to keep it sharp. 

I sharpen it my knife once a week or more often if I use it frequently. A dull knife is not worth much when it won't cut anything. There have been times when I had to sharpen it daily because of the things I was cutting or the frequency. 

Friends I treat my Bible the same way but kind of in reverse. I use my Bible daily to keep me sharp, directed, filled with purpose, morally upright, and in tune with God. Skip a day or two and slack off and I tend to wander and become a dull implement that God is not satisfied with or cannot use. My course in life gets easily altered when I don't keep myself sharp. Again the Bible is not useful if I don't take it with me. So therefore I memorize Scripture now and then and study God's Word daily. That way the Word is in my heart and I have it with me all day long. I have a better chance of staying sharp and useful that way. You could say I hone my mind and heart. 

Back to the pocket knife. When I reach to place the knife into my pants pocket it has another use by just picking it up. That little knife reminds me to stay sharp, read my Bible and pray. When I lay it down at night before resting, it reminds me once more to stay sharp. 

Have a great day!!!

Marty