My friend gave me the idea to indulge myself with a professional manicure to help me quit my cuticle-picking habit. The first time I went, it was a revelation.  I’ve done other women’s nails and my own, especially when I worked as a consultant with a well-known skincare company. But never had a professional done my nails. Andy, the shop owner, took his time soaking my fingertips and skillfully cleaning up my cuticles. During one manicure, he accidentally dropped his stainless-steel nippers to the floor. He glared at them and dashed out to his car to get a new pair. He showed me the empty cases of the others he had relegated to the scrap heap. That pair of nippers had only fallen once, but he deemed them unfit for service. Nothing but a good tool would do the job without harming his clients. My nails looked better than ever. After two years of enjoying Andy’s manicures, I knew enough from observing him to do it myself at home. I purchased a pair of those fancy nippers and marked my calendar for an at-home manicure every other week.

There is a perfect tool at our disposal as believers in Jesus that will produce living results. In Hebrews 4:12 the Bible is described as “sharper than any double-edged sword”. Reading, memorizing, and meditating on God’s word benefits us and others. If I’m reading the word regularly, I’ll be prepared with an answer when people ask about the reason for the hope I have (1 Peter 3:15). We may lack discernment to apply scripture to our life situations if we don’t know it well.

Like Andy’s damaged nippers, the Bible when misused may produce painful results. We are instructed to handle it correctly (2 Timothy 2:15). Cults take biblical truth and twist it to their advantage, misleading people untrained in it. By knowing what we believe, we are armed for battle against false teaching and enemies of the Good News of Christ.

How may we use this God-given tool rightly? For my manicurist, many years of practice made him adept in the use of good instruments. We may avoid sin and become skilled at following God’s principles by keeping His word hidden in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). The Bible is the best tool for the job.