An Axe To Grind

Stay Sharp

“I’ve got an axe to grind with you!” Have you ever had anyone scream that at you? It means that you’ve done something wrong or offended them somehow and they are MAD!

Most of the time this deals with a simmering issue that has reached its boiling point and is about to blow the lid off the issue. Unfortunately, the issue is rarely discussed and all you do is trade personal insults and jabs back and forth, mostly verbal, but sometimes an actual punch is thrown.

Scripture has a different way of grinding an axe. It goes like this: “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 NLT Sharpening means that we file away the dull edges so that the axe can cut well. Many times though, we sharpen our own edges with jealousy and rage to cut the other person, rather than helping them file away their own dull edges. Instead of focusing on what we think the other did wrong, why don’t we go to the source of correct thinking?

The source of correct thinking is God’s word. Hebrews 4:12 in the NLT says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Scripture gives us all we need for living a Godly life. We receive all of this by coming to know God.

Instead of grinding our axe to use to cut someone down, we should come together with the truth of God’s word to sharpen each other’s axe, so we can be what God needs us to be.