The right tools for the job

Ever tried to cut square corners with a circular saw? Or even worse, mitered and beveled parts? I have, and it’s the pits! Even if you get the pieces to fit, and usually they didn’t for me, there is this nagging sense that the job just wasn’t done right. For 43 years of marriage and through the maintenance of eight different homes, the only cutting tools I have owned are a Craftsman circular saw and a hand saw. For some reason, I could never bring myself to buy a table saw or other more expensive tools that are not used every day, but are absolutely essential when you face a more complicated cutting job.

Last week, with the encouragement of my wife, I went out and bought a table saw and miter saw. I have been cutting everything in sight. And I find that I now look forward to tackling those home improvement projects that I used to dread. It is fun to work around the house when you have the necessary tools to do the job!

You’re probably wondering where all this is going. Well, as I was cutting mitered corners for a molding repair this morning (big grin) I got to thinking about the parallels between being equipped for home improvement projects and being equipped for life. I can remember a time when I was really frustrated by the demands of my day-to-day life. Failure, especially moral and spiritual failure, was more the rule than the exception for me, and I struggled with the knowledge that what I should do I wasn’t doing, and what I shouldn’t be doing I was. Sound familiar? The Apostle Paul testifies to the same experience in Romans 7. Then, as chapter 8 begins, he writes: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” In other words, we no longer need to cut the tough pieces of our lives with a circular saw. God has made available the Spirit of life in Christ (read table saw, miter saw, scroll saw, planer, belt sander, etc., etc.) which not only provides a beautiful finished product, but also makes the process of creating it fun, as it was meant to be.

What does this Spirit do? He comes to reside with us, always there just like the table saw that now sits in my garage. And He is ever ready to enable us to cut the difficult angles, and in so doing, to actually enjoy the work we have been called to perform in His name. Jesus said the Spirit would abide with and in us (John 14:17), teach us all things and help us to remember what He said (14:26), guide us into all truth and disclose to us what is to come (John 16:13). We even have our Lord’s word that His Spirit will give us the words to say when we need to explain the hope that is within us.

So have fun with the tools, that endless array of spiritual equipment God has provided to live a life that glorifies His Son. Take on a long-delayed project. Restore something of God’s to its rightful place in His creation. And work with both joy in your heart and anticipation of the Master’s soon-to-come assessment: “Great cutting, good and faithful servant!”