Senior Living - August 22

How to prepare yourself to face each day

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:4

A story is told of a man who challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest.

The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “Every time I looked at you, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did.”

“But you didn’t notice,” said the winning woodsman, “that I was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest.”

Very often, Christians can become a lot like that that challenger. They step out into the battle of the Christian life, trying to live by their own power, only to find that they’ve made it more difficult. That’s because they never take time to get into God’s Word and “sharpen their ax” before they actually face the Christian life.

It’s easy to think that the more you “do”, the more effective you’ll be in the spiritual life. But instead of blowing and going so much, spend time every day reading and meditating on the Bible. Ask God to help you live life to the fullest, and be better prepared to face the day by sharpening your ax with the word of God!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would help you find the time to read and meditate on His word regularly.

Questions for Thought

How often do you spend time “sharpening your ax” by getting into God’s Word?

What goal can you set today for reading your Bible consistently over the next month? Every day? Several times a week?

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