1116. The Lost Axe Head

The Lost Axe Head

"But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water" (2Ki_6:5, f. c.).

As one of the young men was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water. Alas! you say. Yes, it was too bad. Let us study this dilemma.

1. We have the utter helplessness of the hewer of wood. How can man with nothing left but the handle of his axe, cut down a tree? The handle may be well made, a polished shaft, of the best of wood, but it is useless apart from the axe head. We too may be cultured, educated, fit for the fray, humanly prepared for every good word and work but Christ says, "Apart from Me you can do nothing."

The motto of the Baraccas is, "We do things." The Scripture from which this motto was taken, reads thus, "We can do all things through Christ which strengthened us." We can do nothing, except Christ does it through us.

The keynote of the Book of Acts is found in Act_15:28 : "The Holy Ghost and us." The Book is commonly called the Acts of the Apostles; but it is not the acts of the Apostles alone. To this the Book itself bears ample witness. The Apostles were men born of the Spirit, baptized of the Spirit, filled with the Spirit. In Act_5:32 we read: "We are witnesses, so also is the Holy Spirit." They worked in unison, not separated.

Illustration: We remember in South America of a young man who came to us, requesting that he might preach. He assured us that he was well prepared so far as education went, in fact, he had splendid gifts of oratory. We were induced to give him opportunity. O how he failed! He seemed to be preaching in his own strength. He knew nothing of the Holy Ghost; he knew nothing of looking to God for power. Of course, he soon collapsed.

2. The handle and the iron make one axe. There is union there. It is no more the handle apart from the iron, than it is the iron apart from the handle. Jesus Christ told the disciples to get an ass. Upon it He was to ride into Jerusalem. His disciples asked the Master what they should tell the owner of the ass. Christ responded: "Tell him the Master hath need of him." So also does the Master have need of us. God hath chosen through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. God hath said, "Ye are My witnesses." "Ye are the light of the world." He needs us. So also do we need Him. We are "workers together with God." We are called into partnership with Christ.

3. The iron and the handle disconnected–service is lost. Christ said that if a man abide not in Me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered. It is just as necessary for us to have connection with Christ in order to bear fruit, as it is for the branch to have connection with the vine. It is just as necessary for us to be connected with Christ, as it is for the handle to be connected with the iron.

Illustration: In New York city we saw a long string of cars sweeping along, we knew that the cars did not run of themselves and yet there was no motorman to be seen, after a while we discovered a little closed-in nook, where, behind the door, a man stood with his hand upon the lever. No one could see this man. He was hid in a place that seemed too small for an engineer or motorman; yet he meant everything to the movement of that train. Thus, there is behind everyone of us, if we are God's children, used in His service, the unseen Christ. His hand is upon the lever. He makes us powerful as we go forth to serve.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR