Sharpening Your Shovel

January 24

Text: Galatians 1:15-18

In the letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul gives some light on how he became the great missionary we see in the Scriptures. Add to this the information found in Acts 9, and we can see that Paul didn't simply come to Christ and begin his ministry. Rather, he came to Christ, began to witness for him, and in short order found himself in the Arabian desert, where he stayed for three years. During those three years, God trained Paul for his ministry to the Gentiles. In later years, Paul would refer to that time, saying in Galatians 1:11, "...the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." The gospel that we see so clearly in Paul's letters was learned at the feet of Jesus in the Arabian wilderness.

Clearly, God was preparing Paul for his ministry. A couple of friends of ours got together one day to dig up a piece of drain line to check for obstructions. One friend, along with two of his sons, arrived on the scene, jumped out of the truck and started digging. The other man, considerably older, got out of his truck, took out his shovel and a file and began to methodically hone the edge of his shovel, making it clean and sharp. After watching the others for a while, he commented, "You boys are working hard, and you're making progress. But I'm going to accomplish more faster because I took time to sharpen my shovel." A few minutes later, satisfied with the condition of his shovel, the man began to dig. And sure enough, he dug faster with less effort, accomplishing a great deal more than the other three. After a few minutes he turned to the others and said, "This is a lesson for you. Time spent sharpening your shovel is never wasted."

An affliction commonly found among Christians is impatience. This is true no matter what the ministry. Whether the nursery, the Sunday school or the mission field, there is some shovel sharpening that will help you be more effective and efficient. Paul, when talking about his time in Arabia, recognized that God had used it for a training ground to prepare him. He spent three years sharpening his shovel.

God has a work for each of us, and He will get us to it in His time. In the meantime, always remember that time spent sharpening your shovel is never wasted.

Just a servant,

Bro. Tom

"It is not the will to win that's important, but rather the will to prepare to win." - Bobby Knight