Every once in a while I have a memory pop up in my Facebook account. One the other day was from five years ago. Remember five years ago… Covid…social distancing and all that? I guess that is why I found it so interesting. At that time the Church was not meeting in person, and we did a parking lot service. To fill the void of not regularly meeting, I started posting little 2-3 minute devotionals.
This one from five years ago was one where I was down in my shop. Jill and I had a metal shop building where I could go and tinker during the day (I was bi-vocational at that time). During the Covid time it was awesome as I spent a lot of time there and made a lot of devotional videos from the shop.
On this particular day I had walked by my workbench and saw a pair of pliers laying there. I have quite a few pairs of pliers in many varieties. I have the needle- nosed pliers,
lineman’s pliers, channellock, fencing, diagonal cutting and farmer’s pliers. The most common is the farmer’s pliers.
I say the farmer’s pliers are the most common, as they are the most versatile, handiest and probably there is a pair in every house, tool box and most pickups.
As I was holding the pliers in my hand, I caught a glimpse of my pocket New Testament on the shelf by the window. Hmmmm…my mind began to think, and the wheels began to turn. These two items have a lot in common!
The pliers are in almost every house in that kitchen junk drawer or out on a shelf in the garage. You always need them to fix something around the house. To tighten a leaky faucet, take that screw or finish nail out of the wall, maybe hold something in place while you tighten it with a wrench or screw driver, and assembling Christmas presents always requires a pair of pliers.
I keep a pair of pliers in all my vehicles. I might need to make an adjustment to the engine, a door, some project I am working on that is sitting on my truck’s tailgate, or maybe I am helping someone else and they need a pair.
When pastoring in Lequire, I carried a pair of fencing pliers along with the pair of farmer’s pliers. I would often drive pastures checking cattle (and fences), and when I noticed fencing needing to be repaired, I would break out the pliers and repair the fence before the cows would get out.
And of course, my shop has several pairs of pliers. I use them for building, holding things in place, to work on lawn mowers or my side by side and… well the list is endless. This tool is the best and the most versatile! It can be used for practically everything!
Another thing about the farmer’s pliers is the size. They fit in the palm of your hand. Not big and bulky or so tiny that you can’t get your big fingers or hands around them. They are sized to fit in the back pocket of your jeans, the front pocket of your bib overalls, so they are easy to reach when needed!
God’s Word is like that, too. It is our life’s handbook. Bibles are owned by many, and I mean many people. It is in most houses and even some garages. Some people carry a Bible in their car or truck, and ladies will often carry a pocket New Testament in their purse.
This brings me to the next point, the size. There are many sizes from pocket-sized (carry with you anywhere) to extra-large that can go on a table or desk. Like my pliers, I can carry one in my back pocket, shirt pocket, or the front pocket of my bib overalls!
Like the pliers, God’s Word is good for all things and very versatile. As I just wrote, the Bible is good for almost anything. Problems or advice, go to book of Proverbs. Depressed or sad, go to book of Psalms. Want to know Jesus better, go to the Gospels. How do I live a good Christian life? Find your answer in Paul’s Epistles. How is all this world going to end? Look no further than the book of Revelation.
Marital instruction, dating, morality, sin (things not to do), money and finances, how to treat friends, neighbors, and enemies, going to church, and especially beginning and maintaining a relationship with God/Jesus are all found in the Bible.
In life’s tool box, the Bible is God’s pair of pliers. Holding tight to the Pliers, Bro. Tim
