Two Tools

Matthew 3:10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

The right tool for the job is important. I just recently purchase a sewing machine to hem a number of curtains, and several other odd sewing jobs around the house. The hand-me-down machine I had received from my mother, failed before the first actual stitches were in place, but not without spending several hours trying to trouble shoot the problem.

But when I fired up the new one, it took no time to sew the five sets of IKEA full-length curtains. Now the hang proudly just one half inch off the floor. This new machine made all the difference. I could have done all the stitching by hand, but that would have taken me days to complete.

I recently cut down a large oak tree in my back yard with a chainsaw that was too small. Cutting down a tree with a thirty six in trunk with a sixteen inch bladed saw was interesting. I had to really work hard to be sure I cut it properly, as the tree had a bit of a lean to it. I landed right where I had planned!

But now I am going to make slabs out of that large trunk. I wish I could afford a thirty six inch chainsaw. It would make the process of slab making fairly easy. But a sawmill would be the perfect tool. But I could justify an eighteen inch replacement for the sixteen inch saw for which I couldn’t get replacement parts.

The right tool can make a big difference. I purchased a drywall lift a few years ago. That was probably the best $120 tool I ever purchased. It saved he hundreds of hours and so many sore muscles and hours of frustration. It was the perfect tool for that job.

Our text and the following verses mention two tools that work perfectly for the projects, the axe and the winnowing fork. These tools were developed and perfected over thousands of years. If you ever doubt this perfection, just watch a lumberjack competition! The perfect tool in the hands of the right person!

The axe brings down an unproductive fruit tree. The winnowing fork helps sift out the chaff from grain. Both help eliminate what isn’t needed to make way for the fruit of the land. A new fruit tree gets planted and the grain is collected, ground, baked, and eaten. And some of the grain is ready for the next planting season.

And both of these tools are used in our text as instruments of judgment. They point to the need for repentance in the face of sin. John the Baptist was warning his hearers about the tools that the LORD would use in their lives to find the productive and make it even more productive.

What tools are in your life to help you become more productive as a Christian? As a spouse or friend? As a supervisor or laborer?

My advice to you is to gather the right tools for the right job.