A Look In The Toolbox
Julia Bettencourt

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Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2:15

In 2 Timothy 2:15, it talks about being a "workman". If we are workman, we'll need some tools, so let's take a look in our toolbox and see what we can find.

• Safety Goggles.
  When we are working on projects, safety googles are a must to protect our eyes. As Christians we need to protect our eyes as well. There's so many things that the world offers that will spark or spew our direction. We have to have some safety measures in place, such as what type of television and movies we watch. What type of magazines we read. What type of places we allow ourselves to go as Christians.
  
  
• Level.
  A level is a device that helps us line things up by establishing a horizontal line. It helps us do things with precision. That's how we need to approach life. The Word of God should be our level. The things in our lives should line up with the Bible and what it has to say.
  
  
• Screwdriver.
  A screwdriver is one of those most commonly used tools. It's a tool for turning curves such as when we put a screw into something and it goes the opposite direction when we remove one. How about us? Do we go the way that God wants us to, even if it's not the direction we want to go in? Do we follow His leading?
  
  
• Nuts and Bolts.
  Nuts and bolts are amazing little things. They are used to put things together and make them sturdy. They allow for tremendous pressure. How about us? Do we lean on Christ? It's the only way that we will withstand that tremendous pressure of the world.
  
  
• Adjustable Wrench.
  These are handy little tools for our toolbox. They have adjustable heads to accommodate various sizes of nuts and bolts. How about us? Are we flexible to situations that arise? Do we react to unforeseen things in a Christian way?
  
  
• Chisel
  A chisel is a tool with a sharp edge at one end. It is used to chip and carve into something that is solid, such as wood, stone, or metal. Are we busy chipping out all the things that aren't necessary in our lives as Christians? We should be constantly working on getting rid of that "old man".
  
  
• Hammer.
  As workmen, we are going to have to use a hammer from time to time to put things in place. How about us? Do we have things hammered in place in our Christian lives such as regular bible reading, regular prayer, regular church attendance?
  
  
• Pliers.
  Pliers are tools used for holding things by pinching it. It allows us to work on things that need precision work. There are going to be some things in our Christian lives that need some attention. There may be times that we need to just grab hold of something and work on it. We may need to work on our faith, our prayer life, our witnessing, or something else that we stuggle with.
  
  
• Tape Measure.
  No matter what type of DIY or building project we do, there are going to be times when we need to measure things. When we are working on our Christian lives, we need to measure it from time to time. Are we doing more for Christ than we were a few years ago? Are we growing in God's Word?

Conclusion:
Our verse in 2 Timothy talks about being a "workman" but it also talks about studying God's Word. That's what hones our craft. Staying in God's Word and knowing it helps us with our skills as a Christian. Knowing the Word of God will help us understand it and put biblical principles into place in our lives. The Bible is full of things that we can use as tools to improve our Christian lives and our relationship with the Lord.

So, what's in your toolbox?

Copyright ©2001-2009 Julia Bettencourt
Scripture References are from the King James Version.
www.juliabettencourt.com

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