Skip to main content

Iron Sharpens Iron!!

I've been asked, "What is something you have learned in your Christian life?" Not a real easy question to answer because I have learned so much, but one thing I have learned is that the Christian life is a pilgrimage. At times the road is difficult, and we get lonely. Sometimes we may become discouraged and consider abondoning the journey. I think that it is at such times that God will place a friend alongside us.

"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17

One of God's most precious gifts to us is friends who encourage us and lovingly challenge us to "keep going." According to Scripture, a friend is one who challenges you to become all that God intends. Jonathan could have succeeded his father to become king of Israel, but he loved his friend David. He encouraged David to follow God's will, even though it meant that Jonathan would forfeit his own claim to the throne. (1 Samuel 19:1-7).

The mark of "biblical friends" is that their friendship draws you closer to Christ. They "sharpen" you and motivate you to do what is right. I have had many friends through the years, as I am sure you have. I can honestly say that I have had few friends that have drawn me closer to Christ. Most people look to see what is it that they can get out of the relationship for themselves. Not so with biblical friends. True friends will tell you the truth and even risk hurting your feelings because they love you and have your best interests at heart. (Proverbs 27:6). Therein lies the key to biblical friends, love. And it needs to be a love that can only come from loving our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to be careful in our choice of friends. Even Jesus chose His closest friends wisely. He did not look for perfect friends, but for friends whose hearts were set to follow God! It is equally important to examine the kind of friend you are to others! As a follower of Christ, and as a friend, it is your duty to put the needs of others first. (Proverbs 17:17).

My realization is that we need to strive to find godly friends that will challenge us to become the person that God desires us to be. When we have found them, we need to be receptive to the way God uses them to help us become spiritually mature. But in the same way, we must also strive to be the kind of friend that helps others become more like Christ! Are you being that friend today? If not, I challenge you to be!

May God richly bless you today!!! H Trent.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thinking About Calling Down Fire!?!

James and John were refered to as "the Sons of Thunder" in the Bible. When they discovered a Samaritan village that would not receive Jesus, they were fully prepared to call down fire to consume the entire community. "And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" Luke 9:54. Maybe they felt that through such a show of power, the gospel message might be enhanced. The two brothers were willing to sacrifice the lives of the village in order to further the cause of the gospel. However, Jesus rebuked them! Later, the apostles heard that Samaria had responded to the gospel. Guess who was commissioned to go and help them receive the Holy Spirit? None other but Peter and John! It was God's purpose that the people not be destroyed but saved! God chose not to rain down fire on the village, but to shower it with His Holy Spirit! I wonder what w...
6 comments
Read more

Restoration From Our Shepherd!!!

These are very trying times we live in today. Things are happening around us so fast that it is sometimes difficult to know where to go or where to turn. We can easily become stressed and weary of doing the same old grind, day after day, uncertain about what is lying just around the next corner. Well, our Shepherd knows!! He knows our every need, our every hurt, our every pain. He knows that we will grow weary in our pilgrimage with Him as well. He knows that there are times when we need to rest. Our Shepherd also knows what we need to be refreshed. At times, we do need to lie in lush meadows or beside quiet streams. Sometimes we need to be held by our Shepherd. At other times we need to enjoy the pleasures the Shepherd provides. And, our Shepherd will not always replenish us the same way; His response to us will always correspond to our present need, if we will ask Him. "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sunday Sermon: Easter!!!

Easter Sunday! “I Know That My Redeemer Lives!” Scripture: Job 1,2,13,19:25-26,23 Introduction: You may never have heard of Robert King Merton, the Columbia University sociologist who died in 2003, but I will bet that you have heard some of the phrases he coined like, self-fulfilling prophecy, and unintended consequences. I would like you to know that it was Merton that invented focus groups and popularized serendipity. Serendipity, by the way, means the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful. It was Merton who coined the phrase role model to describe someone who provides an example of popular behavior. The term may be new, but the concept is as old as the Bible. I would like to say that if you want a role model of someone transformed by the message of Easter, you can find it in the book of Job. You might be saying, “Job!?!” “But he lived before Christ.” Guess what? You are exactly right! But the book of James chapter 5 verse 10-11 tell us that Job is a role mo...
Post a Comment
Read more