Work Smarter Not Harder (transcript)

I sent you a text. Oh, Oh, good morning. Once every few years, the stars, galaxy aligns perfectly, if you will. Today, we’re close. We’re close to a very important day, but it doesn’t land on the day.

So, yeah, happy pre May 4 be with you, which is tomorrow. Shout out Dawn who never fails to send me a May 4 be with you text because she knows my heart and so happy pre May 4 be with you, which is tomorrow. Star Wars Day is tomorrow. I wanted to work really hard on AI image of me and Han Solo and Chewbacca, but the Holy Spirit was just like, stop. You should probably work on your sermon.

My wife loves all of my AI things, and especially my friends like Boden when I send him little things. He loves it. Chris Bates loves it. So based upon the reaction of May 4 tomorrow, I’m gonna go ahead and scratch out the Chewbacca sound effects competition that we were going to have this morning. I knew there was gonna be one.

I thought I thought I thought I would hear something from Oliver at at least but No? Okay. Alright. It’s it’s off the table. It’s off the table.

There’s a connect card which is on your seat. Fill that out. If you have a prayer request or or even a celebration, we would love to celebrate that with you. Fill it out. You can leave it on your seat or put it in that little box there and last week, we were in Phoenix bringing Kai home from college.

He walked for graduation, got a couple more classes to finish up this summer and then, we have two college graduates. Aren’t we old? Praise the lord. And Connor filled in last week. Didn’t he do a great job, guys?

That was awesome. Lissa and I were on the road. We we were caravanning with Kai and we were in his truck and we were watching the live stream and after the service, we had like a wonderful couple hour discussion about dreams and dreams that we have seen from the lord fulfill, dreams that we’re still holding on to. Any of our areas and lives where we had a dream and then it just faded or fizzled or or died and what happened to that dream and so, I love that Connor brought our minds and our attention back to that and this week, we are going to open up our Bibles and turn to first Kings. So, if you have your Bible with you this morning, would you turn to first Kings chapter five?

We’re going to read a few verses here. Perhaps, this is a story that you’ve read. How many of you have ever attempted to read the Bible in a year program thing. Okay. Fewer of you than I thought.

Oh, okay. How many of you have been successful? My hand is not up. Alright. Okay.

Yeah. Wow. Amazing. Like, you actually read the whole Bible in a year. Yeah.

I’m on my way. I’m on my way. Well, here’s what I was getting at is we read the Bible all the time. We read the Bible in a year or what whatever your daily thing. You’ve probably read this before, but isn’t it funny how when you read something and we take time to take note of it, to spend a little bit of time on it, you’re like, I I know I’ve read this.

I’ve read the book of first Kings before, but that’s been in there. Well, I’ll be. So, this is where we’re turning today. First Kings chapter five, we’re just going to read a couple of verses together. Verses one through nine and we have the mic in the room so that all of our off season live stream families can tune in and participate with us but would somebody please read first Kings chapter five verse one through nine for us.

Whoever Aaron’s running around, he’s got his athletic Chocos on today. I see a lot of bare toes this morning. I love it. Tis the season, finally. So, please, somebody, whether you have clothes, toed shoes, not.

Would you please refer Kings five? Bethany has entered the chat. Good to see you. Oh, this was. Oh, close.

Clothes and Clothes toad. That’s fine. Okay. Appreciate A holy pause. Yeah.

First Kings five. King Haram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David. When Haram learned that David’s son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him. Then Solomon sent this message back to Haram. Page turn.

Double page turn. Okay. Back one. You know that my father David was not able to build a temple to honor the name of the Lord, his God, because of the many wars waged against him by his surrounding nations. He could not build until the Lord gave him victory over all his enemies.

But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side. I have no enemies and all is well. So I am planning to build the temple to honor the name of the Lord, my God, just as he instructed my father David. For the Lord told him, your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the temple to honor my name. Therefore, please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me.

Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians. You know the Sidonians. When Haram received Solomon’s message, he was very pleased and said, praise the Lord today for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel. Then he sent this reply to Solomon.

I have received your message, and I will supply my cedar and cypress timber you need. My servants will bring the logs from the Lebanon Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea, That’s a journey. And make them into rafts and float them along the coast to wherever place you may choose. Then we will break the rafts apart so you can carry the logs away. You can pay me by supplying me with food for my household.

Sounds like a light trip. There you go. Yep. Just a easy little jaunt. So here we are in first Kings chapter five.

Listen, I have recently read this together and have you ever have you ever like gotten a little like you got a cactus, some cactus needles in your finger and you’re like, oh, I can see that one with my eyes, and you can pull that out, and then you rub it or maybe a splinter, but then there’s a really fine one where that you can’t really see, but if you rub it or you’re like, I can’t find it, I can’t find it, and you go to grab something that certain way and you’re like, ow, there it is. Right? Yeah. Okay. In a similar way, in reading this passage, Lissa and I are well past first Kings chapter five but there was something in here that was just rubbing my finger.

I I picked up a splinter if you will and so have spent the last recent amount of time digging and and scratching around and as I begin to dig, I feel like the lord put this conversation on my heart for us to have today and I have a feeling that perhaps this conversation will stretch a week or or two or more perhaps And so with that in mind, if you’re taking notes this morning, at the top of that crisp, clean page, you can write the title of the conversation that we’re gonna have today, work smarter, not harder. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Work smarter, not harder. So, here we have King Solomon who is David’s son. God downloaded some instructions to David.

He says to David, why are you living in this nice palace and here I am still living in a tent and when god said, I’m living in a tent, what he was referencing was his Shekinah glory, his manifest presence, the Bible describes this, hovering over the mercy seat and the ark of the covenant and when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the promised land through Joshua and then the judges and now King David has unified the North and the South Kingdom, and Israel is what we know of Israel as its historical borders. And David’s like, I’ve done it. This is amazing. And God’s like, hey, David, what about a place for me where my people can come and meet with me that is more permanent and not a tent? And David’s like, ah, yes.

I should build you a house for your presence to dwell. And David admits, but it doesn’t matter if I build the entire thing out of solid gold and it’s the most incredible structure. It can’t contain you. God’s like, I appreciate you saying that. You are right but it’ll be a place that is defined that people can come and meet with me And then David’s and then God says to David, there’s too much blood on your hands.

You are not the one to build it because you have been at war your whole life. However, I’m going to show you how to build it, and then your son will build the temple. And David’s like, okay. When God gives the instructions to David for the temple, this is Brian’s conjecture here. This is Brian’s imagination.

Similar to how god gave Moses instructions for the tabernacle, I don’t believe that god told Moses and David, hey, get your pen ready. I’m gonna give you an a detailed narrative description of what I want you to build. We have the narrative description but what I think happened is god told Moses, come here. Let me show you something and I think he took him up to heaven in the spirit realm and showed Moses here, this is what you’re going to do. It’s going to be a a more crude, primitive version but look at this and then, god, I imagine god told David, come up here and let me show you.

This is what I wanted to look like. Now, come back and write it down and give these instructions to your son, Solomon. So, for you designers or architects in the room, we draw plans, but nothing hits home like a visual three d digital rendering of the house or even a model. And imagine if you could build a virtual life size model that people could walk through, how that would just grab their attention. You’d seal the deal for sure.

So, God gives David the instructions, David writes them down, and now it’s time for Solomon to construct this. And before you start a construction project, you ought to always gotta consider your building materials and supplies. King Solomon sends a letter to king Hiram of the Sidonians up to the north. I was going to put a map up here, but I feel like I sometimes I get lost in the weeds with, like, showing you maps and stuff. Do you like the maps?

Does it help you? Yeah. Alright. Alright. I like doing the maps.

I didn’t do a map this morning because I wanted to, like, check myself. So, everybody knows where Israel is. The Sodonians were to the North of Israel in what would be considered modern day Lebanon. Everybody say, ah. Alright.

That’s where the letter went. Rich timber forest there. Solomon sends the letter, hey, we’re building a temple for Yahweh. Can you help us out? King Hiram says, hey, I got all the timber you need.

I got you covered. They will go up into the mountains with cedar rich with cedar forest, cypress trees, fell the trees, so like, think lumberjacks, hauled the trees down out of the mountains to the ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, build a raft, float the raft along the coast to what would probably be, the equivalent of because it’s the the shortest point, modern day Tel Aviv. You can look in your maps. Chris is right there tracking along exactly. The map’s in the back of your bible.

Bust open the rafts and then transport the logs overland to Jerusalem. Are you with me? Yeah. That’s what’s that’s what’s happening right there. When you look at verses one through nine, are there any details or do you pick up any splinters in your finger that’s like, oh, that’s worth picking at and exploring?

What details do you see? I’ve just kind of given you the background, the highlights of what we just read, but I would love for you to put your nose in the text yourself and and see if there’s anything interesting to you. Rub your hands back and forth across these few verses that we’ve read. Is there anything, a rough spot or something that grabs your attention? In verse four, it stood out to me the most that there was rest on every side and no adversary or evil, because that seems very rare.

So that stood out to me. For the nation of Israel. Yes. Yeah, that’s great, because David had a lot of blood in his hands. Have you ever heard this saying oh, great.

And I forgot it. I do this from time to time. Yeah. So I guess you haven’t. Pioneer Settlers okay.

Wait. Pioneers take the arrows and settlers take the land, meaning David went through a lot of hardship and warfare in order for Solomon to enjoy the land. For those of you who are children, young people, and your parents are in the room, your and even if your parents are not in the room, your parents took a take continually a lot of arrows for you so that you don’t have to face the same kind of opposition, difficulty, and hardship, and that’s one of the honors and burdens that parents carry. Great observation, Amanda. Anything else?

What do you see? Nancy. In verse eight where he’s sending the message back to Solomon, it sounds like they’re doing all the hard work. You know, I’m ready to do, you know, get the cedar, float it down, and do everything so they didn’t hesitate to do the labor. King Hiram and his men.

Right. Yes. They’re putting out a lot of work. And all you gotta do is feed us and put us up. Yeah.

That was a lot of work. Yeah. It seems like a very generous offer. Yeah. Yeah.

That’s interesting. I don’t think in this, I’m just gonna call it just a few weeks series of conversations that I anticipate we’re gonna have. I don’t think I’m gonna get a whole lot into the background of the Sidonians and this King Hiram and where they’re from, but you can do your own exploration and you’ll see that this land, the treaty, the trade agreement that King Solomon makes, it opens up a door for trouble for Israel later. That and and and yes. So, you’ll see and in in first Chronicles, second Chronicles, it plays out a little bit more.

Let’s do this. Let’s double click on verse six. While Chris was reading it, he had a little extra emphasis on that and it is this is the splinter that the lord put in my finger for us to kind of scratch around at today and I’ll put verse six up on the screen here. In first Kings chapter five verse six, King Solomon says, as you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like the Sidonians. Yeah, what were they?

Beavers? So, in reading this passage, the lord’s like, there’s something here and I was like, ugh, but what? And digging, scratching, praying, considering conversations with the lord. What I began to uncover through the inspiration of the holy spirit, I would, I believe, is what we’re going to talk about today. If you are going to cut timber like a Sedonian, what do you need?

You need an axe And what kind of axe? A sharp axe. So in reading this passage, considering and thinking about Sidonians, if they had a reputation for for lumberjacking, you gotta have the right tools for the job And if their tools were primarily axes and crosscut saws, if they were known for that, it’s not implicit in the text, but I believe it’s clearly implied, they were masters at keeping their tools sharp. If you are going to be a lumberjack, you better have a sharp axe. Does that make sense?

Yes. Listen to this. It’s not on the screen but a sharp axe, it improves production. It decreases fatigue and it increases profits. Would anybody disagree with any of those things?

It’s reasonable. Expert, a sharp axe improves production, decreases fatigue because you can get through the tree with fewer wax and it increases profits. Of course. Conversely, a dull axe slows production, wears you out, and profits plummet. Have any of you ever had any experience with the difference between a sharp tool and a dull tool?

It’s impossible. You can’t cut butter. So, there’s a tool used in carpentry. I think, technically, it’s called a multi tool, but we call it at our house the zazer. Isaac has adopted that language.

Where’s the Zazaar? He’s He’s still fighting, but he it comes out and then he catches himself. Yeah. When hey. Where’s the Zazaar?

And it’s just it’s just it’s just a little tool with a blade that you can interchange and it oscillates back and forth and you can cut trim and small tip, whatever, Brian. But the the blade on there, they’re really cheap, but they wear out really fast. And you can, with the sharp blade, you can cut through a piece of wood in like three seconds. If the blade is dull, and you can’t necessarily tell by visually inspecting it, but if the blade is dull, it doesn’t cut and it just smokes and makes a terrible stink. Selah was working with us at home on the job site.

We’re building a garage apartment, and, last summer, she was using the Zazzer, and she was notorious about just pressing on with the dull blade. I said, babe, just change the blade. It takes like two seconds. She’s like, I’m almost through. And the blade is smoking and the battery’s wearing out and like what would have taken her five seconds, she’s been working on it for five minutes trying to push his blade through, and so having a sharp blade is really important.

If you’re going to be a Sudanian wood chopper, a sharp axe improves production, decreases fatigue, increases profits, and conversely, a dull axe slows production, wears you out, and profits plummet, and dad’s frustration skyrockets. That’s a bonus one. So, if you’re going to be in the timber business, you gotta keep your axe sharp. Make sense, right? Yep.

What does this have to do with me, PB? In the same way that Sidonians had sharp tools, we too must keep our tools sharp. And if we stopped there, you may get something out of what we’ve talked about so far. But I have a feeling that you would leave here scratching your heads, and when you call your mom for your Sunday check-in after church every week, she’s like, did you go to church this morning? Yes.

What did what what happened to church? Oh, PB talked about the Sidonians. Oh, what about well, they’re woodcarvers. Oh, that’s cool. And what else?

Well, you need a sharp axe. Oh, that’s great. And what else? Well, as far as we went. So we gotta we gotta connect some dots here, if you will.

Let’s define some terms. I said this a moment ago, in the same way that Sidonians had sharp tools, we too must keep our tools sharp, which requires some defining of terms. Our tools are the gifts and talents God gives us to accomplish our unique calling. God will never invite you to be a lumberjack without giving you an axe. That would be cruel.

Now, he may call you to something that you’re like, I don’t I what how do I I I just can’t. I’m I’m I’m not qualified. I’m not going to have me really fear. But know this, if god has called you to it, he will equip you for success. It doesn’t mean that it won’t be hard.

You ever tried chopping down a tree with an axe or forget about it. Give me a chainsaw. But this is really important because I think some people have listening that may listen to the podcast or the live streamer in this room have heard an invitation from the lord. He’s not counting on you. He will judge you for it but he’s not counting on you.

He’s not wringing his hands. If she says no to this, I don’t know what to do. Like, his will and purpose will still be accomplished. And the reward that is set aside for you will be given elsewhere if you, let’s be honest, throw up excuses. And the excuse could be, well, I’m not equipped for this.

I don’t I don’t have the the right tools. You might be looking in the wrong place. And it’s a great question to ask. Lord, I feel like you’ve called me to this and I feel so woefully inadequate but I know that you have equipped me. What am I not seeing here?

You ever prayed that prayer? What am I missing here? That is a that’s a great prayer to ask. Instead of arguing with the lord, remember Moses? Oh, I’m slow of speech, feeling, you know, I kind of got a murder charge.

I’m a rap shoot like, ugh, I’m 80 years old. I’m slow of me. I’m not good and then, god says, what do you have in your hand? Now, listen, good, extemporaneous preaching right here. What did Moses have in his hand?

Stick. A stick. But that stick surrendered to the Lord in the hands of Moses, delivered almost a million people out of four hundred and thirty years of bondage and slavery. Let’s see you do that with a stick. Our tools are the gifts and talent, talents god gives us to accomplish our unique calling.

God equips us with the tools That’s his job. Whose job is it to keep him sharp? Our job. That’s another good point. Well, if I do that if I do that, it’s not in my notes, but that’s the inspiration of the Holy Spirit right there.

That that’s the signal because I’m like, that is good. So listen, how do we know the difference between a sharp tool and a dull tool? What would you think? And you can answer that question in the natural, and maybe we already have. Oh, alright.

Yeah, let’s talk about that. Resultant fruit. That fruit. So, a dull tool yields less fruit, and a sharp tool yields more fruit. Yes?

Oh, yes. Does it feel like it’s exhausting and wearing you out draining your battery or can you work really hard at it and when you’re done, you’re like, my tank is full. That’s good. That is really good because, hold on to that because we’re gonna talk about why that is in in just a moment. Did you have something, B?

Yeah. Was just thinking about how like Hey, here comes a mic. Here comes a mic. I was just thinking about how like if you’re not used to an axe, that having a particularly sharp axe could actually be a little bit like scary or more dangerous, so it actually could feel a dull ax is safer but less effective. Feels safer but is less effective.

Okay, so in the natural when talking about an axe that could that could be applicable, we’re and I know that you know this. We’re not talking about axes in in doing manual labor. This is not a lumberjack workshop, although I do appreciate all the the plaid flannel synchronization here. And I know that this is not like you’re going off of the analogy, but I need to think about how applicable that could be in what we’re really talking about. But interesting.

Okay. Yes, Nancy. Oh, and then Oh. Oh. You I’m sorry.

Did. Get back to Chris Bing. So what I’m I’m gonna play off of Bethany, just like you go to a retreat and you come back just so fired up for Jesus and you’ve you’ve memorized scripture and you’ve been blessed and the Holy Spirit’s just poured out it all over and you have the opportunity to go share with someone. As sharp as her axe is, there’s a fear sometimes that doesn’t allow us to use it when we should. Does that make sense?

I’m hearing you. Yeah, I guess I didn’t say that part of the analogy, but yeah, that was kind of what I was thinking about is like that it can feel safer, I’m talking about spiritually, it can feel safer to have a dull ax because you don’t have to step out, you don’t have to take as many risks, you don’t have to do all these things, but that in order to, and also that in order to wield a sharp ax well, you need to appropriately prepare and understand the weapon you’re using in order to use it effectively. Yeah, that was my point. Okay. I’m picking up what you’re putting down, and while you’re talking, a memory just came up deep within the hard drive.

I was raised by a single mom in rural Texas, and I remember one of my mom’s friends who would, like, take me fishing and do stuff sometime. For one of my birthdays, he gave me a little jackknife, a little pocket knife, you know, with a fold open blade and one long blade and one short blade. And he’s like, do you have a pocket knife? And I was like, don’t have a pocket knife. And he’s like, I’m gonna give you a pocket knife.

I had no idea if he cleared this with my mom or not. But he’s have you ever had a pocket knife? Have used a knife? And I’m like, no. And he’s like, here and I distinctly remember him taking a brand new knife and going to the curb and like, wow, wow, wow.

It just dulled the crap out of it. And he goes, now here you go. I’ll teach you how to sharpen it later. Maybe is that kind of what you’re getting in? Alright.

Core memory unlocked for Brian. Chris Bates, what do you got? I was just taking a moment to write down notes of what was quickly escaping my head. I was thinking about how so if we’re talking about keeping our our GIF sharp, I was thinking about the few things you would do to keep a a blade sharp so you would inspect it. How you’re, you know, not that you’re spending a lot of time, but inspect how you’re using your gifts and what their current state is, if they’re looking dull or if they’re not being used, then also analyzing how you’re applying your gifts.

Since we have free will, there is an incorrect way to swing an axe at a vertical tree structure in which you could damage your axe. Sure. Yeah. So how are you using your gifts? We all have free will to use our gifts for for good or for selfish reasons.

Good. Okay. I feel like that’s a good did you have more? I did, but it that’s the one thing I lost, so we’ll just keep it rolling. Yeah.

Let’s keep it rolling. Alright. So that’s a good segue into as we as we transition from the natural more and more into the spiritual application, which is the the big impact, the big takeaway. How many of you in the next coming week plan on chopping down a tree with an axe? Like, none of us.

So, act up it but it’s the illustration where we get the good stuff. So, listen. I put this up here on the screen. A dull tool is a gift or talent used in the flesh And we’ve been kind of hitting on this hitting in the area, but I wanna just say it really plain and simple. A dull tool is a gift or talent used in the flesh.

What is going to be my next statement? Okay, I will. A sharp tool is a gift or talent used in the spirit. Remember Sela and the Zazzer? Same tool, same operator, same battery, different blade makes all the difference.

A dull tool is a gift or talent used in the flesh. A sharp tool is a gift or talent used in the spirit. Now, let me begin to explain that. Before we get saved, let’s I’m switching analogies from lumberjack analogy to computer analogy. Okay?

You’re with me. Before we get saved, because sin infecting the world that crept in through Adam and Eve and has been passed on to us on down through the millennium, we are not born morally neutral. We are not born free of sin, and then when we steal that first cookie that’s come out of the oven and mom says, wait until after dinner, oh, I’ve sinned as a child. Well, now I’m Nope. You’ve heard me say it before, sins fatal long before the cradle because it crept in through your navel.

We are born we are born fallen. We are born at odds and enmity with God. We are rebels by nature. At just the right time, Christ died for us sinners. He offers us forgiveness and redemption.

But before a person gets saved, their default computer analogy, their default operating system is that of this world and is fallen. When a person invites Jesus into their heart, the Bible says they become a new creation. And their heart is made right, but our mind must be continually renewed according to Romans twelve one and two. So, here’s what’s interesting. I don’t know why he did it this way, but he’s gone, and I’m not.

When a person gets saved, the old operating system doesn’t get deleted off of the hard drive and wiped away. That operating system still continues to exist and operate. However, we get a vastly superior, faster operating system that sits side by side on the hard drive of our life. Now, if you I know very little about computers. It is you cannot have two operating systems working simultaneously.

I’m looking for comfort. Okay. Yeah. Subtle nod. I mean, it would be absolute chaos.

However, a human being is different. When a person gets saved, you get an additional vastly superior operating system with which to do your computer work out of, live your life. Here’s the trick. Our chooser gets to pick which operating system we operate out of. One operating system is our old life, our old sinful nature.

The new operating system that we have been given is called life in the spirit. So anything that we encounter, think, act, say, do, feel can come from our old operating system which is known in the Bible as the flesh or our new operating system which is known as the spirit. And according to god’s intention, for every person that is a Christian, we would live our lives out of or from the spirit, not according to our old nature. Put to death the deeds of the flesh. Don’t gratify them.

Instead, live the new life that you’ve been given out of this new operating system. That may be new for some of you, but I have a feeling for most of you, okay, I got it. Wouldn’t it be great if when you got saved, your old operating system just got deleted? Like, you were like, I don’t somebody drops an f bomb and you’re like, what’s that word? I don’t, like, I don’t even know.

Wouldn’t it be great if when you got saved, angel wings sprouted out of your back, I’m marked, I’m saved. The transformation, the new creation happens on the inside. And so now, we are this interesting mutated species and we become transdimensional beings when we get saved. We can live out of our flesh or we can live out of our spirit. Let me just give you one quick example in scripture.

Let’s take the tool of understanding. Understanding is knowing, comprehending, being able to apply it, not just rote memorization of facts, but that you would that you would regurgitate on a test, but you can you can work with it, you can manipulate it, you have an understanding of things. Right? This we’re going to use understanding as the example. Our understanding that we’ve all been given as a gift and talent can be operated in the flesh or it can be operated in the spirit.

This is the example that we’re going to use. Are you with me? Alright. Ephesians chapter four verse 18. This is an this is an example of the tool of understanding being used in the flesh which is dull.

Ephesians four eighteen, their minds are full of darkness. They wander far from the life of far from the life god gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. Using your understanding in the flesh results in dullness trying to chop down a tree with a dull axe. Now, in some regards, we are all guilty of this. Have you ever tried to grab a hold of the principles in this book using only your flesh or only your intellect or understanding?

This is why people say, this book is hard to read. This book is confusing. This book, I I it’s hard Oh, my happy my happy Easter came out of here. I don’t know how many years ago this was, maybe three or four. It’s an alien taking up a cow, an Easter egg in an Easter basket.

She she knows my heart so well. Trying to grab a hold of this book, understand this book only from the flesh? Dull, chopping a tree with a dull axe. One more, example of the tool of understanding used in a dull fashion. Romans chapter one verse 21 through 22.

Best you can do is write the address down and come back and unpack it later. Says this, yes, they knew god but they wouldn’t worship him as god or even give him thanks and they began to think up foolish ideas of what god was like. The tool of understanding that they have been given, operated in the flesh, results in foolish ideas of what they think god was like. As a result, their minds understanding became dark and confused, claiming to be wise. They instead became utter fools.

I remember my mom telling me this when I was younger. She said, always be careful about taking advice from somebody that is not a Christian. Their minds have not their their their spirit has not been enlightened. It could be great, wonderful, sound, awesome advice. Even a broke clock is right twice a day, for those of you who used analog clocks.

But you must take the wisdom and counsel, the understanding of somebody who’s not saved carefully. They ain’t saved. Example of a sharp tool using our example of understanding. Ephesians chapter one verse eighteen and nineteen. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of god’s power for us who believe in him. We could pick any number of tools and maybe this week, in your own devotional time, your own study, you’ll come across something that god would say, hey, that’s a tool. Like like maybe it’s a character trait. Maybe it’s a an an attribute. Maybe I don’t know what it would be but in your own devotion time this week, the lord may say, hey, that’s a tool and you’re like, oh, let’s see it used in the flesh and let’s see it used in the spirit and and god will show you Bible characters, examples of those two.

Four, we’ve talked about Moses. One’s just bubbling up right now. Moses, he had, he was given the gift of leadership. Let me be a little more precise. He was given the gift burden on his heart, this calling on his heart to be a liberator of the nation of Israel.

When that gift was operated in the flesh, what did it result in? One dead Egyptian soldier. And how many Jews did he liberate? None. When that gift was operated in the flesh Oh, yeah.

Sure. It resulted in one Egyptian soldier dead and no Hebrew slaves freed. Same gift, this calling to be a liberator after forty years sharpening that axe, surrendering to the lord when that gift was used in the spirit, what did it result in? Now, Amanda. Over a million Jews rescued and liberated.

The difference is just a dull tool or a sharp tool. Look at Ephesians. If we’re using the example of understanding, look what happens when this gift that we’ve all been given of understanding is used, cultivated, surrendered to the person in ministry of the Holy Spirit. I pray that your hearts would be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of god’s power for us who believe.

So, I wrote this in my notes for for just a couple weeks. We’re going to talk more about this. We’re going to unpack it a little further. We’re going to dig into a little a little more detail. You talked about, like, sharpening.

Kai had a comment about the different, the contrast between dull and sharp. How can I improve the skill and the talent? How can I be sharper? What is god used to sharpen things? Things like that for just the next couple of weeks.

Let me leave you with this last verse. Ecclesiastes ten ten. Read the Bible across this one but I don’t know that I’ve heard too many sermons preached about it. If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed. But skill will bring success.

Is there an area of your life where it feels like you have been swinging and swinging and swinging and not seeing any progress? Is there an area or aspect of your life where you feel worn out, exhausted? And not seeing any progress Is it possible that you are going in it very well could be you have been called by the lord to this thing but you are operating out of the flesh. That’s a dull axe and you will wear yourself out. There’s there’s I’m thinking of as young adult has told me a story about how he was involved in many years in in ministry and took a lot out of him and and granted, it was very emotionally taxing on them but they they they just got burned out and and burnout resulted in stepping down from that ministry place and what they were doing.

I think they even went on a brief journey of deconstructing their faith and I don’t even know and what and and to build back to a place of faith and confidence and stepping back into ministry. They wore themselves out. I would suggest they wore themselves out. Operating in the flesh more than in the spirit and when you operate, live your life out of the spirit, oh boy. The word retirement just dissolves.

Retirement. What’s that? I mean, show me retirement in the Bible first of all. Yeah, it’s not. She’s read the Bible in a year.

It’s not there. So, let’s let’s let’s. But rest is. Oh, man. Yeah, you can, you can, you can be tired to the bone and be like, that was amazing.

That was awesome. You preach again and again. I mean, look at alright. Let’s take a little bit of time for our conversation today to make that 18 inch drop from our thinker down to our knower. Lord, is there any aspect of my life that you have given me a tool and I’m operating or using that gift or tool or talent in the flesh that is not as nearly as sharp as operating in the spirit.

Show me, Holy Spirit. I repent of operating out of this gift or talent in the flesh. Show me. Teach me. Help me.

Help me. Help me. Train me to operate in the spirit. Speak to your people, wonderful, amazing Holy Spirit. Just make a little bit of time.

As I’m thinking about what we talked about today, the I just I feel like there’s beauty in double operating systems. So we simultaneously live in this world, this material world, and in the spirit world. And so I kind of like love hate relationship. I kind of like that we have two operating systems because it fosters a relationship with God. Because we get to.

He’s given us free will, and we get to choose. And what kind of a relationship would would it be if there was only one system? We wouldn’t have any choice. We have to love him like robots. But we get to choose, and it’s so beautiful when we do.

And choosing looks like obedience. I think sharpening your axe looks like obedience. Sharpening your acts looks like spending time in the word. Sharpening your acts looks like worshiping when you feel like listening to something else. You know, just making those small and big choices to be obedient.

Oh, there we go. It’s done. You don’t have to come for two more weeks. Bringing your tithe and offering, another way to sharpen your axe because it keeps our heart calibrated to his. So as we bring our tithe and offering today, like we do every day here at your local church called Tribe or if you go to another church, take it there.

But, man, it goes to do the work of the ministry in this natural flesh world. And then in the spirit world, it keeps our hearts calibrated to the father, and it keeps us soft and fresh and sharp. So I’m gonna pray over the offering whether you do it now or another time. Just quickly, if you have ways to give, if you have cash or check, we have two boxes, one right here by the door and then one downstairs on your way out outside, and then tribejh.com. You can always give.

And then as you can see on the screen, the best and easiest way for most of us to give is by sending a text to the number (833) 369-7847. Type the word give, the dollar amount, and the number. So let’s pray together. Heavenly Father, you are so gracious and worthy of our praise. Thank you that in your brilliance, you designed everything.

You’re perfect in your creation. Thank you for the little things, the big things, the things we notice, the things we don’t. We just say, Lord, whether we believe it or it’s by faith, that we trust you. We trust you with what you’ve given us to steward, the gifts and the talents that you have put in our in our lives, Lord. Help us every day as we make small and big obedient choices to follow you.

Help that axe that we talked about today to just be sharpened so we begin to notice the difference from what has been dull. Help us, holy spirit, to really, really feel the difference so we want to choose the sharp option. We just love you. Thank you so much for the opportunity we have every week when we come together as a tribe family to bring a portion of our hard earned finances to you, to say thank you. We trust you.

We love you, and it’s all yours anyway. Thank you so much for speaking to our hearts every time, just what you want us to give because you and you alone know how you want our hearts to be calibrated. So we thank you for that. Thank you for everybody here and for the good stewardship that we are continuing to practice both as individuals and as a church called tribe. We love you.

Thank you for your faithfulness. Amen. I just feel that just keep your eyes closed for one more second. I just feel that to pray over anyone in this room that has a big financial hurdle in front of them, and we’re trying to figure it out, trying to figure it out in our own knowledge. And I just feel like the Holy Spirit say, I have a creative solution for you.

I have a creative solution for you. Lean into the Lord’s understanding. He has a creative solution for you. Receive that in Jesus’ name, if that’s you. If you need prayer for anything before you go, any of us any of us can pray for anyone in this room can pray for each other.

Just come and ask. That’s the truth. We our whole church is a is on the prayer team. Congrats. You guys just made it.

Put on a lanyard. Pray for each other. That’s really important. Also, if you prefer, you can also write a prayer or like Brian said today, a praise, something that you’re celebrating. I mean, life is short and hard.

Let’s celebrate stuff. Right? You can write your prayer request or something like that on the back or, of course, you can fill out the front of this and just drop it in the box. Check the fridge announcements, but the main thing I want to focus on Maddie, if you have that bible study slide, you can put it. But it’s the men’s bible study.

It starts tomorrow. It’s gonna be every Monday for a handful of weeks, not Memorial Day, but for four weeks. And it’s gonna be at 06:00 starting tomorrow. So men, come to that. If you are able, there’ll be a meal provided.

We just finished our women’s study, and, of course, they don’t have to be identical, but ours was very lovely. Yeah. I wish the best for you, men. Yeah. So come to that, please, and happy spring.

Praying, check us out. Alright, y’all. Stand up. Let me pray for you before we get out of here and enjoy this glorious day. Lord Jesus, thank you for being good to us.

Thank you for being patient with us. Help us teach us to use our gifts and talents surrendered to your holy spirit so that we can accomplish the unique calling that you have for us. I command the lumberjack blessing over each and every person here that you would give them strong calluses, strong backs, hard calluses, soft hearts. We pray these things in Jesus name, the strong son of god and everybody said, amen. I love you so very much.

Have a great week. And remember, you got this.