Good Tools Are Needed For Success

Nothing in this world lasts forever! New cars grow old * Clothes wear out * Roofs spring leaks * Windows crack * Appliances break-down * Batteries run down. And just about the time one thinks they have it all under control, Murphy’s Law will always trump the best hand, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” I’m old enough to have experienced Murphy’s Law over and over again, and to this very day it never fails to frustrate me to no end, because it always inflicts itself at inopportune times. This past Monday morning the hard-drive fail in my office computer. I’m self-taught in everything computer and spent the day troubleshooting the failure, refusing to accept the findings, and looking for a work-around solution, you know, like what we do after leaving the doctor’s office. Well, I’ve never had to use a repair person before, so I went mechanic shopping. I could change the hard-drive myself, but I don’t have the tools to recover the data on the old one. Yes, I have data back-ups, but it’s the programs that take forever to get built back up again. If I insist on being cheap I’m going to need more tools in my box.

[2 Corinthians 6:1-13; 10:4] “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” The apostle Paul referred to “tools” or “weapons” when writing to the Corinthians. He mentions “weapons of righteousness” and “weapons” of our warfare. The tools or weapons of Christianity are spiritual and figurative, yet with them we can help shape and build up those around us. Romans 6:13 tells us our body is an instrument, and we chose to use it for righteousness or wickedness. The Greek word translated “instrument” there means “tool or weapon.” What kind of tool or weapon are you? Are you an instrument God holds in his hand to do His will? Are you a battering ram? The ancients would use a log or some other hard object to break down a wall or door. Have we filled our hearts with the Word to a degree that we can, “...speaking the truth in love...” (Ephesians 4:15) break down barriers keeping the honest-hearted from God? Are you a crowbar? Crowbars pry objects apart. These are things we should separate from our thinking and lifestyle. Are we consistently trying to pull away from worldliness? (James 4:4). Are you a chisel? This is a tool that does meticulous, detailed work. Its blade carves or cuts hard materials. Do we have the tenacity and trust needed to use God’s Word and benefit from His providence to remake our lives into the image of Christ? (2 Corinthians 3:18). Are you a level? We live in not only a dishonest world but also a corrupt world. So many call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Can people find in us a reliable standard of right and wrong, as we reflect the principles of God’s Word? Levels are used to determine whether something is true and as it ought to be. Are you a plane? The plane makes rough surfaces smooth by repetitiously moving it back and forth on the surface. All four gospels (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23) speak of John the immerser’s work as making ready the path of the Lord, making his paths straight. We are not forerunners of Jesus; we follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21). As we do follow Him, we are going to forge a path safe for others to follow (1 Corinthians 11:1). Are you a magnet? A magnet is an object that draws and holds another object disposed toward such attraction. Magnets can be used as tools themselves, but they are often made a part of other tools, such as hammers and screwdrivers. By living like Jesus, you will draw people to Him. Are you a good tool?