Sharpening the Saw
I am hanging here at the Wired Bean doing my usual Monday morning routine. I come here for a couple of hours in the beginning of the week to spend some time alone with God in reading His Word and journaling my thoughts. I also use this time to prepare for my lessons and messages for the week.
This is one of my favorite parts of my week. I always look forward to coming to a place where people know me by name yet let me do my thing. The hardest part of coming here is leaving the office work for later. Yet that is exactly why I come here.
Last week I called up some dear friends of mine who line in North Carolina. Jeff and Susan McSwain currently serve on Young Life staff and have been an amazing influence in my life. Even though I don't get to talk to them as often as I'd like their example to me has shaped the way I am as a husband, father and minister to youth.
So I called them up and Susan caught me up on all the exciting events of the family from the kids' soccer endeavors to some work stuff. When I mentioned to her that I had just recently started coming here to prepare for the week ahead she immediately affirmed me in that decision. She went as far to say that Jeff, her husband, does not allow his staff to come into the office on Tuesdays (I think it was Tuesdays) until they have had some time to "sharpen the saw".
What an amazing concept. Can you imagine trying to cut a piece of wood with a dull saw? It would get you nowhere! How can I expect to feed and nurture youth who are hungry to know God more deeply if I myself am not being nurtured? How can I counsel parents on how they should minister to their teenagers if I myself am not in tune with God, the ultimate Counselor.
Jesus himself took time from his daily routine to spend time alone with God! In fact Mark 1:35 states that "very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place where He prayed". Let's think about this for a sec. Jesus, the author and creator of life, mad it a point to spend time with His Father before ministering to others.
So here is the question for you. When are you setting time aside to spend with God? I am not saying that I do a great job of this, but I am trying to improve. And this is something we need to do on a daily basis, not just for a couple of hours on Monday morning. So post your thoughts and advice on how we can do a better job of doing this. What works for you? What doesn't?
Thanks for checking in. Hoping you have a blessed day.
posted by Katie&Roddy @ 11:16 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
How DO I sharpen saws?
Patrick that is a great question! How do you sharpen a saw? Even though I am not an expert on that topic, there are a couple of things that seem somewhat obvious to me.
First you need a tool that will not be damaged by the dull saw. This tool must be strong and must be the right tool for the job. I am sure it is a long and sometimes tedious and tiring process bu the end result is that you have a saw that does what it was designed to do.
So how does this apply to us? Well in keeping with the analogy we are the saws and God is the sharpening tool. God often sharpens us by allowing circumstances to occur in our lives that we would rather not experience. The process can be long and painful at times, but the end result is awesome!
We have to allow God to sharpen us by spending time with him in prayer and reading the Bible. A great place to start is the book of John in the New Testament. Another way to get sharpened is to spend time with friends who are also desiring to be sharpened.
I hope this helps.
I couldn't find "The Book of John" anywhere in my bible. Thats my only problem. That, and most of my friends are either Gothic or skateboarders (i dont find them, they find me).
It is really hard sometimes to find the time to sit down and really dive into the word. And even sometimes when I do find the time I'd rather do something else. That is bad. Thanks for rising more awarness on that subject
Patrick, John is after Luke.
I do believe that "sharpen the saw" is the 7th habit in Steven Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
I think it's a really good concept to grasp.
♥
Doesn't anyone post on here anymore? Because i feel like im the only one who bothers to look on this blog.
Dude, Jeffrey...you ROCK! I am so excited about the work God is doing in your life. What an encouragement to see a young man who is really seeking the truth and holiness.
Roddy, great blog!
Roddy, Jeff's Mother told me to ask you this.
Are you asleep?
like i said roddy, you amaze me. i find it so hard to take time out of my schedule to spend time with God and then i regret it later on. right now i feel like instead of sitting in front of the computer i could be in my room journaling or reading the bible. i have such a hard time with that. for me it's so hard to read the bible. i like to come to know God through worship like church and youth and i always feel like i get to know him better when i pray (which i do every night). especially this month. God has answered my prayers in the best way possible. it's not even that i asked for (material) things, i just asked Him to help me cope with my problems and situations whether they turn out to be good or bad and i feel that He wants me to be blessed. I have come to realize that even though i feel like all of this is bringing me closer to God, i regret that i don't read my bible. i feel biblically impaired around all of my friends because i am a fairly new (strong) christian. any ideas how i can get into the daily habit of journaling and reading my bible?
Jordan,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I had not checked this post in a while and Katie just told me about it. Thanks for your reply and for your honesty and openess in sharing with us. I love it that this blog is becoming a place where we can share with one another our struggles and victories.
I totally know what you feel like, Jordan. I too have gone through (and am currently trying to get out of) stages where I have not done a good job of spending time in the Word. My biggest struggle, as a Youth leader, is that I am always so tempted to think about how I can teach Scripture to you guys, rather than think of what God is trying to teach me!
Antway, here is what I recommend (Katie and I are doing this too!). Starting tomorrow, the 1st of August, read the first chapter of Proverbs. On the 2nd of August, read the 2nd chapter and so on... Do this for the entire month of August and you will a) gain soooooo much wisdom from God's Word and b) have developed a great habit! Since August only has 30 days and there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, I recommend reading the last 2 chapters on the 30th.
I am also planning on journaling what I learn and praying that my life would reflect Scripture.
Praying for you,
rodrigo
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