I am sure you have heard the term” have a cutting edge” or “be at the cutting edge”. It refers to the “most modern stage of development in a particular type of work or activity” or “the most recent stage in the development of something” that usually gives an advantage.[1] So, you often hear of companies at the cutting edge of communication technology or scientific evidence; or organizations wanting employees with skills that put the company at the cutting edge of product design or innovation.

Yesterday, as I was chatting with a friend who I admire in many ways, I was reminded of this term when she shared that she feared she has lost her spiritual cutting edge. She used to care about ministry and being involved in ministry but feels as if she has lost her effectiveness and enthusiasm for doing the Lord’s work. As this can happen to any one of us, I want to share some of my thoughts on recovering your spiritual cutting edge from 2 Kings 6:1-7.

The “sons of the prophets” (today, we might refer to them as a class of theology students) were studying under the Prophet Elisha. Many young men had joined the seminary but soon they ran out of space to accommodate everyone. So, they came up with an idea to build a new dormitory. With Elisha, the trainer’s permission, and his encouraging and inspiring presence, they went down to the Jordan river to start cutting down trees, to build their new accommodations.

Like many students, the one in this passage, did not have all the resources he needed and resorted to borrowing to fulfil his lack. He borrowed an axe so he could do his part and help with the building project. Pretty soon a problem arose. One day, while cutting down a tree, his axe head flew off the handle, landed in the Jordan river and sank to the bottom. In one mighty swing, he lost his cutting edge, and the power tool that made him effective.

Ever felt like this, spiritually? I have, at least a few times, but the question is, “What should you do when you think you’ve lost your spiritual cutting edge?”

Here are a few suggestions for recovering your spiritual cutting edge:

• Accept responsibility for losing your spiritual edge.                                                                                                                                             This young man lost his cutting edge and his effectiveness in doing the work he set out to do. He suffered the loss while he was cutting trees. He didn’t blame anyone else for what had happened! No, He took full responsibility for what had happened. Maybe, he had neglected to maintain his power tool and to ensure it was in good working order. Such neglect may also be true of your spiritual life. When you lose your “spiritual edge”, you must accept personal responsibility for it. You can point a finger at the Pastor or Elder and say “I lost my spiritual edge” because the sermons you guys preach are boring and I don’t feel engaged; or you can say “I lost my spiritual edge because the church’s programs do not meet my needs” or “I am working too hard doing church assignments and I lost my spiritual edge”. The truth is the blame lies with you and you must take responsibility for the loss. To prevent this from happening, you must constantly ensure that your spiritual connection with God is tight and firm to prevent slippage and loss.

• Stop chopping as soon as you recognize you’ve lost your edge.                                                                                                                              When the young prophet lost his cutting edge, he stopped swinging as soon as he realized it was missing. He took a break. Think about it. If he continued trying to cut down trees, he would only be swinging at the tree bark, making noise, wasting time, and losing energy without making any real progress. He stopped chopping and so should you. If you sense that you have lost your spiritual edge, stop. Take a break. Rest. Pray. Study. Reconnect with God and meditate on His greatness. Reflect on who you are, what you do, and why you do it to better understand your divine purpose.

• Consider your accountability to the resource owner.                                                                                                                                    Having lost his cutting edge, the young prophet cried out for help. “Alas, my master! It was borrowed” (2 Kings 6:5). He lamented the loss of the borrowed axe head. It did not belong to him, and he would have to return it to the rightful owner who lent it to him. Likewise, your gifts, talents, and any ministries or opportunities you have, are not yours. They belong to God, the owner of everything in heaven and earth. 1 Corinthians 6: 19, 20 says “You are not your own and what you have does not belong to you. You are a manager, a steward, a trustee of what belongs to the Lord, and you will have to answer to Him for all that he has entrusted to you to manage. Always consider that.

• Seek help.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The cry of the young student was also an immediate call for help. “Alas, my master!” he said to Elisha because there was nothing he could do about the situation on his own. He needed help. I do not think he expected Elisha, the man of God, to perform a miracle, but he recognized he needed his help. You too need help. You cannot recover your spiritual cutting edge on your own. Call on the Lord, and ask Him to do for you that which you cannot do for yourself. Seek help from spiritual leaders the Lord has placed in your life for fellowship, encouragement, and support. Once you have done this, God will act to help you restore your spiritual edge.

• Examine the problem closely.                                                                                                                                                                                            Elisha responded to the young man’s cry for help with a question, “Where did it fall?” This question required the young man to reflect on what happened, to retrace his steps, to examine his situation. So should you. Take the time and trouble to examine the problem. Where and when did you lose your spiritual edge? Was it through neglect of Bible study and prayer? When you fell back into some old sinful habit? When you stopped regular church attendance, or after some controversy with a fellow believer?  Our tendency is to sink into despair, or to keep trying to work through the problem on our own without identifying where the missing ‘axe head’ is located so you could retrieve it.

• Expect God to provide help, then retrieve your cutting edge.                                                                                                                                  The story about the sunken axe head ends with a miracle. Elisha, the man of God, threw a stick into the water, and the axe head floated to surface of the water. Yes, the iron axe head floated. Then the young student retrieved it himself. God miraculously intervened to restore what the young prophet lost. Similarly, when you lose your spiritual edge, it is important to wait for God’s response, and to and to make every effort personally to retrieve your spiritual edge. Notice, although God performs the miracle of restoration, you have to retrieve your cutting edge yourself. So, if you have neglected Bible study, prayer, and regular church attendance you must recommit yourself to doing these things again to restore what was lost. Remember, only with God’s help, can you recover your spiritual edge. He assures you that when you seek him, you will find him, when you search for him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

Have you lost your spiritual edge? Take action today, and experience the miracle God as for you.

[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cutting-edge

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The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day in March was Choose to Challenge. As I pondered the words, I ask myself “Challenge what”? I answer: Challenge, inequality, poverty, bias and stereotypes; challenge exclusiveness ad discrimination; challenge racism and hate, and the list could go on and on.

As I ponder this theme, I am reminded of a story in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark that speaks to a different challenge – the challenge of women banding together to harm someone else. Their tool, conspiracy with the help of a drunken leader. Herodias, one of the Bible’s famous villains and her daughter conspire to murder John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin.

Herodias was a Jewish princess, a clever politician, and a powerful influential woman in the early Roman empire. She married her half-uncle, Herod Philip, and shortly after her marriage, she bore a daughter. It was not long before her husband’s brother, Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, fell in love with Herodias and desired to marry her.

But there was one obstacle: both of them were married. Herod Antipas who played a big part in the execution of Jesus Christ, had married the daughter of the Nabataean King Aretas IV and Herodias was married to her half uncle. To solve this problem, they both divorced their spouses and married each other.

According to the Bible, when Herodias found out that John, the Baptist opposed their marriage and deemed it unlawful, she wanted him dead. To prevent his death, her husband imprisoned John. Antipas did not want to put John, the Baptist to death because although he liked to listen to his preaching (Mark 6:20), he feared him. Furthermore, Antipas may have feared that if he killed John his followers would riot.

Herodias, on the other hand was constantly on the lookout for a way to silence John. Her opportunity came on Herod’s Antipas’ birthday. During the celebrations that were filled with debauchery and drunkenness, Herodias’ daughter danced for Antipas and it delighted him greatly. Losing control of what little inhibitions he had, Herod took an oath, in front of witnesses that he would give her whatever she wanted.

Herodias, her mother, pulling the strings of revenge in this plot saw her opportunity and instructed her to ask for the head of John the Baptist as a reward. Although he was appalled by the request, sadly, Herod Antipas agreed because he did not want to break his oath or seem weak in front of the witnesses if he denied her request. So, the imprisoned John was beheaded and his head given to the daughter who gave it to her mother on a silver platter.

 Food for Thought: Four things we should challenge

• Challenge Wickedness

What happens when your sexual interests lead you to fall in love with your own relatives? What do we do when we notice these patterns of dysfunction around us? We need to ask the Lord to give us a healthy vision and understanding of what is His idea of idea of a healthy relationship; what is right in His eye eyes compared to what we may be getting used to seeing.

Often, we do not realize that dysfunction is going on around us because we may hear that it is normal to be a particular way do a particular thing; but it takes God giving us a godly vision and perspective of wholeness and health to set us down the path of freedom. Unlike Herodias and Herod Antipas, we should try to live decent, righteous lives. When faced with it, we should acknowledge our wrong-doing and not seek endlessly to escape the consequences of our actions. Moreover, we shouldn’t stand by passively and allow wickedness to flourish around us.

• Challenge Drunkenness

 Herod’s judgment was distorted by pride and drunkenness. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had made a mistake and was not prepared to lose face before his banquet guests. From a health standpoint, Herod got so drunk he made a ridiculous offer to a dancing girl: “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom” (Mark 6:3, N.I.V.), and he wasn’t a big enough man to admit to his folly and withdraw his promise.

 It is always foolish to make grand gestures under the influence of alcohol. Proverbs 20:1 (N.I.V.) says, “Wine is a mocker; strong drink is raging and whoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” That means—drink too much wine or liquor, and that drink will make a fool out of you. We must avoid drunkenness and its effects on both body and mind.

• Challenge Yourself to Trust God Always

Many have asked, “Where is God in this story when John’s head is cut off? Did he stop working to save us? The answer lies in the Mark’s sandwich stories. Immediately before the Herod narrative, we read of Jesus commissioning His twelve disciples to go, in pairs to take the good news of salvation to the villages. Immediately following the Herod narrative, we read of the return of the Twelve to Jesus.

So, what was God doing? The answer is: God was continuing to be at work to save mankind. By His Spirit and through those called by Jesus to proclaim and enact His kingdom, God was working so that others might be drawn to know Him. Then as now, while suffering is on full display for all to see, the Holy Spirit is at work calling men to repentance.  Let’s challenge ourselves to depend upon God’s leading through His Holy Spirit, and let’s make sure we are not bypassed.

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The month of February is Black History month across North America. This year the goal is to bring focus and increased awareness of racialized issues in society, and the call to us is to listen, learn, share and act to make society a better place.

Non-acceptance and devaluation of humans based on racial differences, specifically blackness, has existed since Bible times. In this blog, I reflect on one such incident from the Bible.

Sitting at a primary intersection of gender and ethnicity in chapter 12 of the book of Numbers is the figure of the Cushite woman. Meet Zipporah, the Midianite wife of one of the Bible’s most celebrated leaders – a black woman whose name means “a little bird” or “sparrow”. It was at a well that Moses met Zipporah. After killing an Egyptian in Egypt for harshly beating a Hebrew slave, he fled to the land of Midian to escape his shame.

The Midianites were a group of people, made up of different tribes – descendants of Midian (a son of Abraham and his wife Keturah), who lived in the Arabian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea. The location is considered to be part of modern-day Saudi Arabia. Some, however, also came from Nubia, and this is where Zipporah came from somewhere between Ethiopia and Sudan. Her father, Jethro (also known as Reuel) was a priest of Midian, a shepherd, and a wise man.

You would recall that it was Jethro’s recommendation that Moses select judges to help govern the people. Moses would teach the judges and they would hear the simpler cases leaving the more challenging ones for his attention.

We learn in Numbers that one day when the Israelites were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ older siblings, blindsided him when they “spoke against Moses because of the Cushite[1] woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman” (Numbers 12:1).

The most explicit criticism is about his marriage to a black woman as the two siblings called out Zipporah’s distinct trait – her skin colour which, apart from her race, also symbolized that she was not Hebrew but a foreigner. On top of that they had the nerve to question Moses’ authority. They hinted that they deserved to be prophets on par with the unsuitably married Moses, and God “heard them”.

In response to Miriam’s criticism, God does not get angry with Moses. “His anger was kindled against them”, Miriam and Aaron. The bible says that God spoke suddenly to the three siblings, summoning them to the door of the Tabernacle where he came down in a cloud to meet them. God does not meet them inside the Tabernacle where he would customarily meet with them because, in my view, he intends to punish them and in so doing He does not want to desecrate the Tabernacle.

He then calls Aaron and Miriam forward to set the record straight. He does not tolerate them bad-mothing Moses. He tells them that Moses is nothing like them but a “servant of his household who talks to Him face to face.” God does not wait for an answer from Aaron and Miriam but departs as soon as He had given his testimony about Moses.

“When the cloud lifts from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow” (Numbers 12:10). Having criticized Zipporah’s dark skin, her punishment in the form of white, leprous skin was now visible for all to see – skin for skin. Moses, a type of Christ, intercedes on her behalf, asking God to have mercy on her and to heal her. It is important to note that God hears This prayer, and He answers. Miriam must, however, wait seven days outside the camp, returning only after she heals. “…The effectual fervent prayer of s righteous man avails much” (James 5:16, NKJV).

In contrast, God does not punish the weak-willed, traitorous Aaron possibly because leprosy was a symbol of sin’s spread and horrible consequences, and Aaron the High Priest symbolized Jesus, our sinless High Priest who would come to redeem sinful man. In a sense, he was punished when he saw Miriam, his sister stricken with leprosy for Numbers 12:10 says “… and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, [she was] leprous.”

There are a number of takeaways from this story.

• Anti-black racism exists at the highest levels – in leaders and even in family members as is shown in this story of Miriam, Aaron, Moses and Zipporah. Further, it must be rooted out because it is sin. “…when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous ….” Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, and he said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this SIN on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when it comes out of his mother’s womb!” (Numbers 12:10-12, NKJV).  Aaron calls his and Miriam’s act, sin. Racism is a sin and God hates it. In some form or another, when one is racist, whether they be White, Black, Asian, Latino or Indigenous and they hate another race, the Bible calls it out as There is no room for racism or hatred toward foreigners in God’s family, and He has little tolerance for it.

• The Lord hears when we criticize others based on race, and He comes down to deal with these racial situations on earth. I am sure God has taken note of all the faithful ones who have suffered because of race. Some have already received justice. All will receive at Christ’s second coming. Moreover, it is a dangerous thing to tear down the character of those anointed of God. The thing Miriam judged became her judgment, and that was skin color.

• Racism is not only a skin color issue; it is a heart issue. The only one who can root it the sin of racism is God. This happens through an encounter with him and a full transformation. After Moses pleads with God to heal his sister, God says send her outside the camp for seven[1] For her complete body and heart transformation, God makes her live in isolation with this skin disease.

• In looking at the account of Moses’ siblings’ racism towards his wife, we see that the Hebrews were held back from moving forward until Moses’ sister’s heart was sanctified and transformed. Racism does not just hold back the racist, it holds back the subjugated as well.

• God supports inter-racial marriage. The implications of Moses’ marriage to a Cushite woman are significant.  Moses is one of the leading figures in the Old Testament. As the story unfolds in Numbers 12:1-16, it is clear that God approves of this marriage, for he rebukes Miriam and Aaron for opposing it, and then He strongly reaffirms Moses as his chosen leader.

We are living in a moment of deep suffering, arising out of a history of incalculable suffering, for black people, bi-racial people, indigenous people: the modern Zipporahs. Too many, like Miriam, think and speak with bias against others because of their race or racial connections. Too many, like Aaron, go along with it, whether through agreement, laughter, shrugging or silence. Too often, people turn these thoughts and words into damaging deeds, even lethal deeds – against George Floyd and others; against 400+ years of names.

The Bible does not let us deny the problem of racism. Black lives mattered in the time of Moses and Black lives matter now. We all must work to root it out – to speak against it; to oppose it and, most importantly, to act against it. All people are created in the image of God, and therefore all races and ethnic groups have equal status and equal value before God. The gospel demands that Christians carry compassion and the message of Christ across ethnic lines. The New Testament, in particular, teaches that as Christians we are all unified together “in Christ,” regardless of our differing ethnicities.

Moreover, our primary concept of self-identity should not be our ethnicity, but our membership as part of the body and family of Christ. The Apostle John, the author of the book of Revelation, gives us a picture of God’s people at the climax of history – a multi-ethnic congregation from every tribe, language, people, and nation, all gathered together in worship around God’s throne. I look forward to that day. What about you? By God’s grace, let’s purpose to be there – together.

[1] A Cushite is from Cush, a region south of Ethiopia, where the people are known for their black skin.

[2] Seven is the number for completion in the Bible.

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