“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
It just so happened that the order for our new kitchen faucet and drain arrived the same day my daughter Cori got the new bathroom vanity for the church. What THAT meant… was PLUMBING! AND it meant I had to go through all the tool drawers to collect my plumbing tools. But discovery discovered some things missing! So it appeared I was going to have to head to the hardware store.
I’ve done LOTS of plumbing jobs over the years. But that doesn’t make me an expert. Every time I put in a new faucet, or have to reconnect a drain, it’s hit or miss as to whether it will leak or not. I guess it’s kind of like the odds at a casino! To improve those odds, old standards NORMALLY found in my tool area are Plumbers Putty and Teflon Tape! Neither of which I had! Then I read the directions!
The directions didn’t mention I needed them, and when I went online to look at more detailed instructions, I read, and HEARD in a video, that “Plumber Putty is OLD SCHOOL” and not really needed anymore. Trusting this new ‘time saving’ knowledge, I quickly installed the faucet and drain, turned the water on and… drip drip drip! Eh… I was heading to the Hardware Store anyway!
When I got to the church to check on Cori, I saw that SHE had purchased the EXACT SAME Plumbers Putty and Teflon tape as I had. We only chuckled at the coincidence, because plumbing issues are no laughing matter! HER first attempt at installation yielded the same unwelcome ‘drip’ as well. When I got home, I disconnected the drain, applied a generous glob of plumbers putty, wrapped the connections with tape, and VOILA! No runs, drips or errors!
EVERY Bible I have ever owned has 2 Timothy 2:15 marked. And YES… you can call that old school! Over the years, different versions have changed the KJV word ‘STUDY’ to, ‘Be diligent,’ ‘Hasten,’ ‘Make every effort,’ ‘Work hard’ and even ‘Do your best.’ I dislike that last one because it can become easy excuse for failure! The POINT is that growing up as a Jesus Gal or Guy TAKES WORK! It just doesn’t come by osmosis!
Being a Christian as long as I have, I have discovered that, like plumbing, there are some basic old school methods that cannot and SHOULD NOT be avoided. Like teaching a child multiplication without flash cards, trying to gain the ‘abundant life’ Jesus promised WITHOUT putting in the effort does NOT end well.
So when it comes to your walk with Jesus, are you working… or dripping?
