There isn’t really a specific song for this one except I feel the Lord want us to collectively raise a Hallelujah in the presence of our enemies (our weeds and briars) today. As one, no matter if we are together or separate, we “raise a hallelujah so that heaven comes to fight for us.”
As I was reading in Ecclesiastes today I came to 10:9-10: "He who quarries stones may be hurt with them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength; but wisdom [to sharpen the axe] helps him succeed [with less effort]."
Reading that verse, immediately made me think of Proverbs 27:17 - “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].”
However, the Ecclesiastes verse made me look at the Proverbs verse anew. As I have wrote many times before, and, I’m sure, will write many times from here forward, life is hard. As Hebrews 12:1 tells us “sin so easily entangles”. It’s true, I often feel that the briars and weeds of life have my body wrapped so tightly that I can’t move. And on the days where I can move, I feel there are so many weeds, briars and fallen trees that I can’t find my path. The revelation that this verse has given me is that if I am standing on my path swinging at these weeds and briars with a dull axe then all I am doing is exerting strength that is wasted and may even endanger me. When my strength has failed I then make selfish and prideful choices, putting my emotions and feelings as the center instead of Jesus. That not only hurts me, but those around me.
I CANNOT cut down all that surrounds me with a dull axe. Swinging and swinging draining every ounce of strength that I have. If I am going to live my life like Jesus, then I must sharpen my axe. Proverbs 27:17 makes it clear one, vital, way I do that is to surround myself, with other believers. Isn’t that what Jesus did, after all? He had men and women surround him, to share life with, to pray with, to encourage one another. If our Savior saw the importance of community, what makes you or I think we don’t need the same thing? Having others of faith join in our journeys and to join in someone else’s journey, is the iron we need to sharpen our dull axes. When you think about it then, there is no reason that we should ever swing a dull axe. Whether it’s one trusted friend that listens and leads us to the Lord for wisdom and understanding. Or a group of men and women that, through their deep faith and joy of the Lord, spur us on to live a more passionate and fruitful life for Jesus. Our axes should never. be. dull. The fallen trees, weeds and briars will remain, but when they block our paths, I pray, each of our axes are sharper than the weeds are entangling.
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