September 15. Are You Sharp?

Leaders, are you part of a commodity or product team? I like to think of the alternative to this as a value delivery team. As a leader of a product team, concerns of sharpness, effectiveness, and efficiency can be important. But on a value delivery team, items that are concerned with why are the most important.

When you are about value, the team delivers, and there is power in that team. The effectiveness of a single tool or person is not the critical decision like it might be on the commodity team. If you lead a commodity team, where are your tools in need of improvement? Who might need more training and attention?

Many will recognize the equipment of a brush cutter, machete or lawn mower. These tools must have a sharp blade, or the results will suffer. The tools on teams sometimes need sharpening. If you are a leader of a value team, how might you enhance and empower others?

These concepts might make you ask yourself, "Do I have the right people on my team?" You might also want to ask, "Am I on the right team?" Leaders can build systems of accountability which help the blades that need to be sharp to stay sharp. Where do you need a higher level of accountability?

What is the first thing you can do about it in the next seven days?

As fellow believers, we ought to be working as a team for Christ. But sometimes our words or actions get in the way. When we allow ourselves to get sharpened for the wrong purpose, we can injure others. Our sharpness can get turned on us quickly. We read, “But God himself will shoot them with his arrows, suddenly striking them down.” Psalms 64:7 NLT.

The passages before were talking about warriors sharpening their arrows for attack. We sometimes sharpen but need to be careful. We learn here that arrows might be returned in kind. I know that God can sharpen much better than any man or tool can. There is nothing more accurate in sharpening than God.

We can choose to be accountable to be sharpened in our faith by those we are growing with. Perhaps you have the edge you need to make a difference in someone's life right now. Where can we be of use to Christ right now in the shape we are? No sharpening required today, just serve. What can you do about it in the next seven days?

Let us pray, Father God, we are being molded into what you want us to be. We pray that we obey your direction and listen for the small still voice. Put us to your use today just in who we are. Make our path take us where you want us to go. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen,