In the year 1939, the Movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was released. The movie was adapted from the children’s book of L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum had multiple sequels to this book in which he described the origins of the characters, one in particular, the Tinman. According to these series, the Tinman was once a real man named Nick Chopper, a woodsman who loved being outside and chopping wood. Nick’s heart was smitten with love for a young maiden named Nimmie Amee. They planned to be married as soon as Nick could chop enough wood to build a house for them. However, the wicked witch of the East, not wanting to let love continue, cast a spell upon Nick’s ax which instead of chopping wood cut off his limbs. As the cursed ax did the evil witch’s bidding, a tinsmith named Ku-Klip replaced each body part that was lost, and before he knew it, Nick became a tin man, still alive, but without a heart. So, without a heart, Nick lost the affection that he once had for Nimmie, he lost interest in her, unable and unwilling to reciprocate her love.

The Tinman’s (Nick’s) dilemma could be taken as a warning for us as believers. What Nick thought was his source of provision and enjoyment, turned out to be the curse that cost him his heart and the girl he had once loved. One would think, at least after the loss of his second limb, he would have taken notice that his ax was causing some major problems in his life and gotten rid of it.

We don’t have to worry about physical dismemberment, becoming a tin person without a heart, but we should be aware that sin does separate and hardens our heart.

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

Sin in the life of the believer is much more dangerous than Nick’s ax was to him.

There is an old saying that goes like this: “Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go Make you stay longer than you wanted to stay And cost you more than you wanted to pay.”

Too often, however, Christians knowingly wield an “ax” that slowly whittles away our relationship with Christ. “Axes” that take us out of church, take away time in God’s Word, take away time in prayer, take way time with family, all to be replaced by a heart that loves and chases after material and temporal things.

What is the ax you have in your life? What are those things that are gradually replacing God and His Word?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)