The Toolbox: Living the Christian life the way God intended.
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12 ... be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ... 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, ... 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 1 Timothy 4:12, 14-15 (KJV)
Do we know how to use the tools God has given us?
A man needed to cut down a bunch of trees in his backyard to make a space to build a barn. He knew it would take a lot of time and effort to cut down the trees using an axe so he decided to purchase a chainsaw. He never used one before but he heard they were not very difficult to use and it would make his job much easier. He went to his local chainsaw store and after describing what he wanted to accomplish to the salesperson, he walked out of the store with the recommended chainsaw. He did not ask how to use the chainsaw and he didn't obtain a user's manual. So he set out on his own to figure out how to use the saw. He used the saw all day. He was exhausted. In all his effort he was only able to cut down one tree. The next day he took the saw back to the store and complained that the saw did work very well and asked for his money back. The salesman asked to look at the saw to see if there was something wrong with it. He placed the saw on the ground, moved the start lever to the full choke position, and then pulled on the start cord. The saw started perfectly. The man who purchased the saw, surpised by what he heard, yelled out, "What's that noise?"
Proverbs 3:5 tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart." You cannot grasp the depth and breadth of the "all" until you have a biblical understanding of the heart. Elsewhere in scripture the bible uses the words "all" and "whole" related to actions involving the heart: love, serve, obey, keep, seek, search, believe, praise, return, turn, etc. How can we truly honor the Lord in these actions unless we understand the heart? Holiness, worship, a sacrificial life, our identity in Christ, changing into the likeness of our Savior all involve the heart. Read my lesson "Proverbs 3:5-7" to learn more.
Prayer & Service
A man lived in a neighborhood where everyone kept their lawns in immaculate condition. One day he found out that his neighbor became sick. He prayed that his neighbor would be well soon. A week went by and while the man was cutting his own grass he noticed that his sick neighbor's lawn had not been cut. He thought nothing of it and continued to cut his own grass. After two weeks the sick neighbor's lawn was four inches high and the man started to get perturbed and mumbled to himself, "I wish he would get his lawn cut." After three weeks his grumbling turned into a complaining prayer to the Lord, "Lord would you please put it in someone's heart to cut my neighbor's grass?" Four weeks passed and while cutting his grass again, he looked at the neighbor's unkept lawn and once again prayed the complaining prayer to the Lord, "Lord would you please put it in someone's heart to cut my neighbor's grass?" The Holy Spirit moved in his heart with the words, "How about you?" Convicted the man veered to the left and cut his neighbor's grass.
Do we pray with the intention to be the answer to our own prayers? How much sooner would the neighbor have displayed the love of the Lord toward his sick neighbor if his initial prayer was, "Lord I pray that my neighbor would be well soon and help me to be a find a way to be a blessing to him in some way in the meantime?"
....The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16 (KJV)
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV)
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1Peter 4:10 (KJV)
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrewa 13:16 (KJV)
Where Does Your Mind Go?
When you are not performing requisite daily tasks, where does your mind go? Does it focus on self or on the Lord?
The minds of a typical Christians focus on themselves. Very little time is given to the Lord. Do they pray? Yes, but it resembles something like: “Thank you for this food;” “Lord I need a parking space;” “Lord I need help.” How about meditating on God’s word? Probably not. They have to remain focused on what needs to get accomplish during the day, or they are just too tired to think. Sing praises to the Lord? No, but they sure can sing a catchy song they heard on that popular secular music station they listen to every time they get a chance. It’s no wonder people don’t see Christ in the typical Christian. They sure are content to spend an hour in church every Sunday morning. Sadly, that one hour in church doesn’t shape what’s going on in their mind the other 167 hours of the week.
For a Christian who desires to honor the Lord by having a worshipful lifestyle, the heartbeat of the typical Christian must be turned upside down. The focus of the mind and heart is on the Lord and not self. Whenever given the opportunity, the worshipful mind returns to the things of the Lord. The worshipful lifestyle understands that the mediation of the heart must honor the Lord so the words that are spoken, the emotions that are displayed, and the decisions that are made honor Christ. I wonder how much impact Christians would have on the world around them if the upside down heartbeat was the normal heartbeat for those who claim to be in Christ?
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (KJV)
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrew 13:15 (KJV)
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97 (KJV)
Peace
Matthew 6:21 (KJV)
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Philippians 4:7 (KJV)
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Romans 1:17 (KJV)
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Why is it so difficult to change? Why do we live defeated lives? Why do we say that we "hope" we can be holy or I would "like to be" an imitator of Christ as if they were unattainable goals? The bible says Christians are already holy and it commands to imitate God? The first prerequisite is that we are truly "in Christ," meaning that we have trusted Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. Secondly, we must be student of God's word to know what it says. Thirdly, we must trust God that we can be who he already says we are! If you want to learn more about what the bible says about how to change to be more like Jesus read my lesson "Biblical Formula for Change."
Mary’s Wisdom: Abiding
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:4-5 (KJV)
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:38-42 (KJV)
To abide means to exist permanently in, inseparably united, to remain, stay, continue, and endure. Does this resemble your relationship and daily walk with the Lord?
A sanctified, fruitful life springs from a dependent, abiding life in Christ. We place ourselves in that secret place of the Most High when we immerse ourselves in a relationship with our Savior that thrives on understanding and applying His word, speaks and listens to God through prayer and meditation, worships the Lord continuously in all aspects of life, and then seeks to imitate him and encourage others to do the same.
Martha demonstrated abiding love when Jesus came to visit her. Her desire was to sit in the presence of her Savior to learn from Him.
Sadly, too many of us are like Martha. We get so busy "doing" for the Lord but we spend little to no time "abiding" with Him. Jesus said we can do nothing without abiding in Him first. Doing without abiding is nothing but self-sufficiency. It says, “look at me!” Abiding before doing proclaims, “Look at Jesus!”
Imagine how different our “doing” would be if it came out of the overflow of our “abiding” with our Lord!
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalm 91:1-2 (KJV)
Meditate on the truth about abiding written by Alexander MacLaren.
Abide in Me and I in you, that is the way to be fruitful, rather than by efforts after individual acts of conformity and obedience, howsoever needful and precious these are. There is a deeper thing wanted than these. The best way to secure Christian conduct is to cultivate communion with Christ. It is better to work at the increase of the central force than at the improvement of the circumferential manifestations of it. Get more of the sap into the branch, and there will be more fruit. Have more of the life of Christ in the soul, and the conduct and the speech will be more Christlike. We may cultivate individual graces at the expense of the harmony and beauty of the whole character. We may grow them artificially and they will be of little worth-by imitation of others, by special efforts after special excellence, rather than by general effort after the central improvement of our nature and therefore of our life. But the true way to influence conduct is to influence the springs of conduct; and to make a man’s life better, the true way is to make the man better. First of all be, and then do; first of all receive, and then give forth; first of all draw near to Christ, and then there will be fruit to His praise. That is the Christian way of mending men, not tinkering at this, that, and the other individual excellence, but grasping the secret of total excellence in communion with Him.
(MacLaren’s Expositions of Holy Scriptures https://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/15-5.htm, retrieved June 6, 2026)
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