Stay Sharp!

Bishop E. Earl Jenkins

"If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success." Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NAS)

Did you hear about the 2 lumberjacks who challenged each other to see which one could cut down more trees in a day? At daybreak the first one began furiously chopping down trees. He worked up a sweat and by noon he had cut down 16 trees. Meanwhile the other lumberjack had only cut down 4, because he took the first 2 hours to sharpen his axe. As he sharpened it his challenger laughed at him thinking he was doomed to lose the bet because of all that wasted time.

That's when things got interesting. By early afternoon the first lumberjack was slowing down. It took him almost an hour to cut down one tree, while his friend was picking up speed. How could this be? Certainly he was as strong as his friend. Unfortunately, strength had little to do with it. It was all about whose axe was sharper. The sharper the axe - the quicker the trees came down. By late afternoon the second lumberjack who'd sharpened his axe, had passed his friend by several trees and won easily.

There's an important lesson there for you. Your ceaseless activity may feed your ego and satisfy your need to be needed, but eventually: (a) it will leave you dull spiritually, emotionally and mentally; (b) the people who need and applaud you now, will discover it and go looking for someone sharper, leaving you feeling "used" and unappreciated; (c) because you've lost your edge you'll be unprepared for what God has for you next!

So, stay sharp!

Bishop Edward Earl Jenkins is the senior pastor and founder of the True Servant Worship & Praise Church located in Trenton, New Jersey. Bishop Jenkins earned his Bachelor of Theology degree from Eastern Bible College and has been preaching the unadulterated gospel for over twenty years. His unique method of preaching and teaching has opened many doors to allow him to touch the hearts of many lives near and far. Bishop Jenkins is the proud husband of Lady Sheila Jenkins and father of Travis, Jamal, Clarrisa and Dionna.