A Tool or a Weapon

A Tool or a Weapon

The knife. It is a simple form that has been around a long time.

It has many uses: opening bags of seed, cutting vegetables, extracting splinters, prying staples, cleaning teeth, sharpening pencils, cutting zip ties, removing gum from hair.

But it is also true that the blade has been used to kill many a man.

So which is it, a tool or a weapon? It depends on the handler. The hand holding the knife decides the outcome.

What is man then? A tool or a weapon? Again it depends on who is holding the man. If he is bent on ruling himself, his strength will inevitably bring harm. Just look at history. But if he is yielded to God, his strength can help fix the world.

Who are we listening to?

Who are we listening to?

Who are we listening to?

Our waking hours are saturated by an unending flow of information. We have open access to all the content we could ever want and the content we don’t. 

The problem is two-fold. First, there is too much. Our minds and hearts can’t contain the flood. Second, there are very few filters in place to sift out bad information. Some of what we take in may be true, some of it is false and much of it as a cloudy mix of the two.

It is probably not practical to block all incoming data (at least not long term). But do I ask myself, “Who am I listening to and what is it doing to my heart?”

In other words, “If I let this information in, what is the impact?

It is a good truth test.

Many of the words streaming through my screen are telling me why a certain group is to blame for some bad thing and why I should hate them so my life will be better. What happens if I swallow that information? Nothing good.

Here would be the counterpoint…

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

Sound idealistic? I think it sounds practical. What would happen if I chose to listen to that. What would be the impact? What would be the impact if that mindset took hold in my family. What if a whole community made the shift from speck to log? 

The clear fact that this information could help fix the world proves to me it is true. And it makes me want to listen more to the one who said it.

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