The Edge

“If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom has the advantage that it does things right.” Eccles. 10:10.

A dull Christian is like a dull ax. When you go into a forest to cut down a tree with a dull ax, you have to cut for hours on end before you fell a single tree; but if you have a sharp ax, the tree will fall within a few minutes. The sensible woodsman keeps his ax sharp. Nevertheless, there are some people who think they are so busy that they cannot spare the time it takes to go and sharpen their tools.

That is the case with many Christians. They have no time to go aside to be alone with God—He who is the great grindstone. A man is sharpened by standing before the countenance of his friend. Prov. 27:17. How much more are we not sharpened by standing before God’s face! One can hold meeting after meeting, and complain about people’s hardness (not a single tree is felled), but one rarely complains about the dull tool. Become quiet before God’s face so He can sharpen your edge. There you can be honed. Then, when you come to the meeting, you will experience that “one tree after another” is felled by the blows of the truth.

The disciples had time to stay in Jerusalem even though the whole world was in need; the woodsman has time to hone the edge of the ax even though he has much work to do. If the ax is dull, you must use more strength—much time and much effort, yet with small results. The work at the grindstone makes the work in the forest easier, and the work in the prayer closet makes the work at the meetings—as well as everywhere else—easier. We can safely say that the essential work is done in the prayer closet in quietness before God.

Those who have accomplished something in God’s kingdom have not been like the dull ax. Those who are like a honed edge can do the work of God. They go forth in God’s power. But those who are dull continue to slave away and struggle; and because they are not near to God and do not receive a honed edge to work with, they invent better methods. They tell a lot of religious jokes, write down all their good works in their diaries, and send them out by the thousands; but whatever their invention, it is of little avail because the flesh profits nothing. It is pure bondage, even though they were baptized in the Spirit a long time ago. However, the flesh does all kinds of things; it will gladly perform hard, religious work to avoid having to die. Yet it profits nothing. It is both necessary and vital to return to the first love, to stand before God’s face. Then one will proceed with less commotion and turmoil in one’s wake, but with greater results.