“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” John 14:21
Needing some shelves in my garage, I was looking forward to the task. It had been many years since I’d done any kind of carpentry work. 45 years ago I had started in carpentry to provide my betrothed a living. It was back then I learned, often the hard way, from a seasoned old codger who expected me to do it right! As I picked up my saw, I remembered!
Whenever hands reach for a saw, a gun, a knife or even the steering wheel of a car, there are rules to LIVE by. These inanimate objects have no brain, but serve as tools to do their master’s bidding. If the user does not choose to follow the rules, life can be severely disrupted! Setting saw on plywood, instinct kicked in and I remembered those commands.
“SET the blade to the depth of the cut. WEAR safety glasses! AVOID the blade! WATCH the extension cord and PLAN for where it will follow. MOVE smoothly with the speed of the saw. For a straight line, watch where you’re going… NOT where you’ve been!” In seconds, I had them down and proceeded. 12” inches later I could tell, by sound alone, I had missed one!
If you’ve ever cut wood with any kind of saw, there is a satisfying rhythm to it. As the blade cuts, it creates a sound. That sound tells an experienced person how fast or hard to push and the resulting quality of the cut. The sound of my saw told me the saw-blade was dull. Not having another, I did the ‘next right thing’ and slowed the movement of the saw.
My Master Jesus has commands, or rules, that He wants me to live by. Though they are in black and white, and sometimes in red, they often turn gray or dull when time comes to actually apply them. ‘Giving’ seems rather simple, until pen and checkbook are in hand. Honoring and obeying? EASY… until a selfish heart is pricked! What then?
The hard way of learning has taught me that there is no way around the hard way. Jesus told me to keep my head in His Word and remember the basics every step of the way. Even when it gets hard. And that if I watch where I’m going, and not where I’ve been, He will always be out in front. I am simply called to KNOW and DO … the “next right thing!”
Are YOU cutting it with Jesus?
