Rev. William "Bill" Stout

Some yours ago a young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "Start Monday!"

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today."

Startled, he replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," answered the foreman, "but we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday."

"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee break!"

The foreman, sensing the boy's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your ax?"

The young man replied, "I've been working too hard to take the time!"

What about you? Have you been so busy, so hard at work that you've neglected the important disciplines that nourish the soul and strengthen the spirit?

Sometimes it is not our lack of effort that keeps us from attaining God's purposes for our lives and our churches. It is often our failure to stay rooted, grounded, and connected to God. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian Church in chapter 2, verses 6 & 7: 'So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

As we make regular worship, prayer, Bible study, and service to others a priority in our lives - we come to understand what is truly important. And we discover that being faithful and obedient to God - and bringing glory to God - is what brings true and lasting joy!

Could your "ax" use some sharpening?

Love in Christ,

Pastor Bill Stout

Weirton Heights Memorial Baptist Church