A Little at a Time

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:22-24

With a whittling knife in one hand and a block of wood in the other, Michael sat on the back porch and intently studied the wood he held. He looked at it from all angles and then started carving. After he worked for quite a long time, the shape of a deer began to emerge from what had been a plain block of wood.

“What are you working on?” asked Grandpa, who had come out of the house to join him.

Michael held out the block of wood for his grandfather to inspect. Grandpa turned it over and over. “You’re doing a good job,” he said. “Before you know it, the deer that’s in your mind is what you’ll be holding in your hands.”

“I guess so,” said Michael, “if I don’t make a mistake and goof it up. I really like carving, but I wish it didn’t take so long. A little chip off here, another off there. It seems to take forever.” Michael grinned. “Maybe I should carve bigger stuff—like the guy we saw at the fair last year. He used a chain saw to carve a bear out of a stump, remember?” Michael sighed as he looked at his deer again. “When it takes so long, I almost feel like quitting.”

“Oh, I hope you won’t quit,” said Grandpa. “I know it’s a slow process, but the only way to get it right is to chip off just a little at a time.” He smiled and handed the deer back to Michael. “Aren’t you glad God doesn’t quit chipping away when He’s working on us?”

“What do you mean, Grandpa?” asked Michael.

“Just like you see a deer in that block of wood, God sees in us the people He wants us to become,” Grandpa explained. “Little by little, He chips away at our sinful habits so we act more like Jesus. I guess you could say He’s carving our lives, changing our thoughts and behavior a little at a time.”

“Like this deer, our lives are only partly finished, aren’t they?” said Michael thoughtfully.

Grandpa nodded. “Yes. He’s shaping us into who He wants us to be—people who obey Him and display His love in our lives. He isn’t finished with us yet!” • Christine P. Honey

How About You?

Are there bad habits or attitudes in your life that need to be chipped away? Today’s Bible reading talks about taking off your old way of life and putting on your new self—the person whose heart has been changed by Jesus. That means leaving your selfish ways behind and living a life of love and obedience to God. It doesn’t happen all at once, but as you allow Him to work in your life, He will shape you to be more like Jesus.

Today’s Key Verse:
Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

God is still working on you