Tool Time!

2 Corinthians 10 (The Message)

 ^3-6The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. 


Hey! Does everybody know what time it is?  -------------- TOOL TIME -- I love the television show Home Improvement. I love tools, working on things and Do-It-Yourself.  Tim Allen is hilarious.  I guess I like this show because I can relate.  I don't think I have ever done anything as crazy as putting a jet engine on a lawnmower. or building a mans kitchen, or a mans bathroom.  But,  I do understand  MORE POWER.  I love gadgets and gizmos. I think anything can be fixed with duct tape or tie-wraps. Well. almost anything.  I have done my share of not having the right tool for the job and improvising, only to end up in disaster.

I think Paul would have loved "Tool Time".  Go back and read this verse like Tim Taylor would read it.  It just makes me want to take a crowbar and start ripping things up. (Ok, it may be a man thing!).  But, don't you get fired up when you think about the daily fight we face with the "World".  We can't be shy, we have to attack or be attacked.  We need to use "More Power" or face destruction.  We have to use our God-tools. Now that is More Power!  We have to be willing to stand for what is right in Gods eyes, not our own. Using the word of God, we need to take political stands, defend the weak and the poor.  We need to be open to the leading of the spirit to take action against injustice. We need to pray for our enemies that they would know the Lord. We must realize we are in a fight and we must not back down.  We aren't to use just words or negotiations, (marketing or manipulation) to change this world.  We are to take action! Tell it like it is!  Don't accept anything but a world shaped in the likeness of Christ.  We need to Love, but we must not yield to the evil we face during our daily walk.

Read the verses again.  If it doesn't give you a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose, a sense of power. I don't know what will.  Argh! Argh! Argh! MORE POWER!

Lord, help us to use your tools to make a difference in this world.  Help us to take action, tear down barriers that get in the way of a life you designed.  We know. Lord, we are in a battle.  The battle belongs to you Lord, but we want to join the fight.  We need your power, your strength, and your purpose to stand up against this world.  Give me  a sledge hammer, help me rip the walls down that get in the way of this world turning to you. Help us make a difference! Amen!