"Sharpening The Tools"

When I was young we lived on a farm, near my grandparents and later I worked five years on a farm. I remember that the farmer or helper was never idle. I always heard it said that idle hands is the devils workshop. If the weather was bad the farmer could not work outside, so they would work in the barn, stables or in the tool shed. All good farmers had a tool shed in the barn or very near the barn where they hung their tools or kept their tools neat and organized and ready. The farmer would go there and sharpen, oil or repair the tools that needed this done. The farmer was always prepared.

If the farmer did not tend to his tools, they would not be ready when he needed them and many times they would need somehthing in a hurry. The tools had to be in good working order at all times. Most all farmers had a large wet stone which was shaped in a wheel and it would go around by the person sitting on the seat and peddling like a bike. The round wet stone would go around and around and the person would then sharpen the tools.

We too should always be sharpening our tools. In life, we have to be ready for the unforseen obstacles or for Satan to be trying to get us to do something or say something we are not to say. It is what Satan does, we must always be prepared by sharpening our mental tools to be ready for the attack. We can do this by reading good materials, watching good TV programs, or by hanging out with good people and simply thinking good thoughts, we can not be idle.