Are You Getting Worn Out?
by Roger Pook
Are you working with a blunt axe? Are you whacking away at the same old problems in the same old way but achieving less each time? Or are you working harder and harder to achieve the same result as before (and getting worn out in the process)?
Maybe you need to make some changes? In the first place, this could mean taking some time off in order to sharpen your axe. Just how you do this is up to you and God, but we know one thing for sure - God doesn't expect your life to be static or totally repetitive. He would love you to try something new or go back to Him for refreshment. As they say, a change is as good as a rest. If what you do now doesn't seem to be working any more, do something different or in a different way. Nobody watches the same film over and over to see if it has a different ending, so why do we try to solve our problems in the old ways that are no longer effective? Spend some time in asking God honest questions - Father, do you really want me to go on like this? Listen to the Father's advice on how to sharpen things up.
Secondly, learn how to use the sharpened axe in a skillful way. A skilled woodsman uses the weight of the axe to do the work, while an amateur sees it as an exercise in lifting and pounding. He soon gets worn out. So, learn to be a professional. Learn how to use the amazing spiritual gifts that God provides for our daily walk. They are the smooth arc of the steady swing, and the weight behind our axe as it cuts into the problems.
Thirdly, learn when to take a rest. The strongest and most skilled woodsman knows when he needs to take some time out so as not to get tired and careless. Many decades ago I was very impressed when a fellow-Christian said "I just want to burn out for Jesus". Now I would reply "And when you have burned out, what use will you be to Jesus?"
To paraphrase Ecclesiastes 10:10 - Don't work harder, work smarter.
Prayer: Help me Lord to reassess the things I do. Please show me where I need to make changes so that my life will be more fruitful. For your Kingdom's sake. Amen
Roger Pook For 21 years Roger Pook and his wife Christine served in Central and Eastern Europe, based in Hungary at the Úr Rétje centre of Ellel Ministries. From there they travelled and ministered across the length and breadth of the former communist world. In 2018 Roger retired as Regional Director and they now live back in the UK, where Roger still serves on the Executive Leadership and as a trustee of The Christian Trust. They still travel for the Kingdom!
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