Make Sure You’re Using The Right Tools
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. – 2 Peter 1:3
Ever since we bought our house a couple of years ago, I’ve developed an interest in DIY projects. I’ll never forget this one particular weekend when I decided to work on one particular DIY project, which required drilling holes into two-by-fours. Now, while my drill had quickly become one of my best friends, I had never drilled through wood before, but I’d seen it done on HGTV a million times and figured it couldn’t be that hard.
In fact, I had drilled through the brick on the outside of our house to hang our video doorbell a few months prior, so drilling through wood definitely had to be easier than that, right?
So with that little glimmer of confidence, I grabbed my drill, inserted the drill bit I used to hang the doorbell, and went about my business…except I didn’t get very far.
The drill bit wasn’t working. As I pressed the drill as hard as I could into the wooden board, the bit didn’t make a dent more than an eighth of an inch deep. This was clearly not going to work.
Confused, I sat there for a minute, wondering why in the world this bit wasn’t getting the job done. But then, I noticed in my drill’s carrying case there was another type of drill bit that looked slightly different than the one I was using. I figured it was worth a shot since I was getting nowhere otherwise. So I switched out the bit and started drilling. And wouldn’t you know it? I was able to drill through the two-by-four with no problem at all!
I laughed as I finished drilling through the boards, thinking my grandfather, who is the carpentry guru in my family, would have had quite a chuckle at the sight of me figuring out that there are, in fact, different types of drill bits for different types of materials.
But I also sat there and thought about the parallel that could be drawn from this experience to other areas of my life besides my DIY projects.
If we don’t use the right tools in life, we’re not going to make very much progress…just like when I used the wrong drill bit and I didn’t make more than a dent in that wooden board.
God has given us everything we need to live a life that honors Him. He promises this in today’s key verse. First and foremost, He’s given us a way to have a personal relationship through His Son Jesus. He’s given us His Word to learn from and live by. He’s given us the Church to get plugged into so that we can engage in Christian community and serve alongside fellow believers. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But so often, when we’re trying to make progress in life, these are not the tools we reach for. These are not the things and the people we run to. Instead, we reach for anything or anyone else, thinking that we can find the help, guidance, and wisdom we need outside of our relationship with God.
And unfortunately, when we do this, we get about as far as that first drill bit did, barely making a dent.
So friend, whatever you’ve been running to lately other than Jesus, whatever you’ve been reaching for other than God’s Word, and whoever you’ve been seeking advice from outside of your Christian community, I pray that this devotion would serve as a checkpoint for you.
Are you reaching for the right tools? Are you using what God has given you and blessed with you as you try to move forward in life? If not, I pray that today will be the day you make a change.
Just like my DIY project got easier once I used the right tools, life seems to get a little easier when we follow the path God has laid out for us. I’m not saying life will be easy in and of itself. After all, that DIY project was still hard work. But life is a heck of a lot easier when you’re walking in step with the will of God than when you’re trying to swim against its current.
So decide today to use the right tools – the God-given tools in your life – and see what kind of progress you make as you choose to live the life God has intended for you to live.