Sharpened by the LORD

"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

Proverbs 27:17

There were many kinds of iron implements that benefited from sharpening in Solomon's day.  When it comes to knives, swords and weapons of war, one thing is common between them all:  no cutting weapon or tool is sharpened in the sheath.  The cutting blade needed to be drawn and exposed before it could effectively be drawn against another to remove burs and hone the edge.  This is true concerning Christian fellowship and friendship.  There must be a willingness to expose our thoughts, concerns, delights and feelings in person with one another for the sharpening Solomon talked about to occur.

Having two swords or knives in close proximity to one another does not prevent them from rusting.  It is from the friction of the blades dragging upon the other that provides a sharper cutting edge on both of them.  One thing I love about this analogy is the iron that is sharpening iron is being handled by someone other than the swords themselves.  A sword is not capable of moving itself any more than a shovel can dig a hole or an axe can fell a tree by leaning up against it.  These tools are wielded by the worker, and all of God's people are held and utilised by Him for His good purposes.

A problem arises in Christian fellowship when we find others abrasive or difficult and take it personally--as if they are an enemy when God is able to use them wisely just as they are.  For all of our faults, blind spots, foolish assumptions, and proud imaginations, God is not in any way hindered from using us to sharpen one another.  The sharpening of our countenance--the quickening of our minds, clarifying our perspectives and refining our character--is one of God's purposes in our interactions and fellowship with believers.  Both blades benefit from the friction required to further change us by teaching us to humble ourselves, listen to others and consider others as more important than me, myself and I.

A warrior does not sharpen a sword to hang it on his wall as a trophy, nor does a woodcutter sharpen the axe to conceal it in a leather cover.  This sharpening, tiring and repetitive as it might be, is not the main job or end:  these iron implements are sharpened so the sword will perform best in combat and to fell trees in fewer strokes with less effort.  Our communication and friendship with others works to make us more effective in being godly witnesses for Jesus Christ outside the walls of the church or when we are not around our best friends.  God is doing a marvellous work as we gather with the brethren, and the work He does is our small circle prepares us for labour of greater scope and eternal consequence.  In our gathering with family in Christ (who are our true friends), let us ensure by faith in the LORD and commitment to one another we cultivate opportunities for sharpening we all need to better do the labour God intends to do through us. 

Faith Retained in Christ

Placing your faith in the wrong things can lead to devastating consequences.  All the time we hear about trusted people who were exposed as frauds, like an investor that secretly ran a Ponzi scheme and stole the money or the friendly neighbour later exposed as a molester.  It recently was huge news when a small group of people died aboard a submersible they believed would safely allow them to tour the wreck of the Titanic in the crushing depths.  Some place faith in themselves they ought to be reserved only for the almighty God.  Misplaced faith is a dangerous thing, and the disastrous evidence of this is all around.

I have witnessed this misplaced faith in people who look to a priest or minister for hope and assurance of salvation rather than Christ and His word.  People can give credence to feelings or experiences to confirm what is true and real instead of what God has plainly spoken in the scripture.  Today I read a quote from a Christian organisation that said, "...We will never stop believing in our young generation."  I cannot imagine Jesus ever saying such a thing.  Generations young or old are not worthy of our faith which ought to be placed in Jesus Christ alone because He is our Saviour and Redeemer; He is our Strength and living Hope.  It may be a common tactic to pump up a crowd or congregation by telling them how wonderful and worthy they are, yet this runs counter to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that points to Him as the only One worthy of faith and trust.

In a world full of flawed people, there is nothing easier than finding fault with others.  But it can be very difficult to honestly examine our own hearts and repent of our misplaced faith.  Considering this quote prompts me to see if I am guilty of misplaced faith or presenting a message that leads people away from faith in Jesus Christ alone.  If the Galatian church could be swayed from the Gospel to the beggarly elements of the Law and labour to put themselves under the curse Jesus redeemed them from, so can we (Gal. 4:19).  Judging ourselves righteously and responding with repentance and obedience to Jesus is something we can do before it is too late to change course.  Praise the LORD the indwelling Holy Spirit convicts of sin, teaches, guides and comforts us as we look to Jesus and trust in Him.

Having our faith built upon Jesus as revealed in scripture is a key factor in finishing our pilgrimage of faith strong.  The wisdom of the world (which is foolishness to God) is like a lion at the door waiting for an opportunity to pounce.  Worldly messages, tactics and emotional appeals can be convincing and  seem to provide results we are looking for.  A rock-solid biblical foundation and the lens of the Gospel help us establish a worldview that is resistant to the wisdom of the world and yields to the wisdom of God--and Jesus Who is our life and wisdom for us.  People place their faith in all sorts of things, but blessed are the people whose God is the LORD Jesus. 

God's Works Revealed In Us

"Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ² And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" ³ Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."

John 9:1-3

As I was preparing the sermon for this week, I was drawn to consider this among many other passages of scripture.  Having been raised observing the Law of Moses, the disciples were well-versed on passages that warned of the consequences of sin--that God would bring disease and illness upon them for departing from obedience to His word.  It seemed obvious to the disciples, therefore, this man or his parents must have sinned in some fashion to deserve this permanent condition.  The answer of Jesus must have been surprising to them, and it is very good news for us as well.

The disciples had fallen into a common trap that they could by simple observation know the root cause of a problem--as if they were God.  Since Jesus is God and knew all about this man and his parents, He was able with authority to declare the truth:  neither the sin of the parents or the unborn child was the reason for his blindness.  It seems the religious leaders believed similarly to the disciples, for even after Jesus miraculously healed him they sneered, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  Jesus did not suggest the man blind from birth or his parents had lived their lives entirely without sin, yet it was not a particular sin that led to their son being born blind.  God had redemptive purposes in mind He would bring to pass in due time.

Jesus said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  Here is the marvellous grace of God shown in an unexpected way.  The disciples looked upon the man's blindness as a curse, yet it was the means God would redeem for the works of God to be revealed in him.  What some call a disability was the way Jesus used to bring spiritual insight to the man he would boldly proclaim to others:  he once was blind, but because of Jesus he could see.  On the momentous day this man received physical sight he was thrown out of the synagogue, yet with his eyes he saw in-person the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, and worshipped Him as LORD.  Getting kicked out the synagogue was overshadowed completely by being received into the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus.

Isn't it wonderful to consider the things which may prevent us from doing what others can physically do can be the vehicle for God to reveal His works in us?  We are often like the disciples, rushing to judgments based upon our assumptions without considering God's redemptive power, goodness and grace.  People with perfect eyesight can remain in the dark and blind to God's wonderful works He desires to reveal in us, and only with eyes of faith in Christ can we receive them gladly.  Having experienced redemption by the Gospel, we are now able to proclaim to others the goodness, mercy and faithfulness of God to us--even if our eyesight fails.

When Things Go Wrong

Have you ever had things go wrong?  It is likely there have been occasions today unexpected things happened you wish could have been avoided.  For instance, today I investigated why the printer was producing folded pages.  I could see paper dust residue inside the printer, so I figured it would be better to vacuum it out rather than make the dust airborne in the house with compressed air.  What I did not notice was a sizeable foam insert only after it was immediately sucked into the vacuum!  I was grateful I had just changed the bag so the part was easy to remove and replace into the printer--after sopping up ink it had absorbed that was all over my hands.  You know, things like that. :)

My mind flitted back to years ago when I had organised a pour of concrete at my house.  I put in the hard yards with my dad setting forms, laying down steel mesh, paid for the concrete and managed labour.  And then the night before the pour I came down with the flu or had food poisoning.  I was disappointed to be sick and wasn't able to contribute on the day like I planned on doing.  God was gracious in providing the skilled labour necessary to pour and finish the concrete, which are skills I do not possess anyway.  I can think of other times where things went wrong and there was no immediate good I could point to that came from it, even though I am convinced God caused it to work for good.

The wonderous thing is the almighty God I know and love has never had the experience of anything ever going wrong.  There has never been an occasion something unexpected and bad happened He was unaware of and incapable of redeeming.  Even saying something has "gone wrong" exposes our misguided expectations, our ignorance of knowing what was coming and what God is planning.  When Jesus was crucified on the cross, His disciples were dismayed and totally shattered even though He told them beforehand it would come to pass.  Peter later wrote to believers who suffered persecution for their faith in 1 Peter 4:12-13, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."  By design God would bring unexpected fiery trials His people's way they were by faith in Him to welcome into their lives like offering hospitality to a stranger into their home, and in the midst of their present suffering they could rejoice in a glorious future with their risen LORD and Saviour Jesus.

In this world things will go wrong and sometimes very wrong.  This results in all sorts of troubles with added inconvenience, extra work, needing to reschedule appointments, increased expense, feelings of embarrassment, physical pain, going without something important, needing to organise rides or to humble ourselves and apologise.  The list of our unexpected problems and difficulties is truly endless.  When things go wrong for us, we can rest assured nothing has gone wrong for God.  Our unexpected calamity, boneheaded decision or weakness does not prevent Him from accomplishing His good plans and tests us in the meantime, to see if we will trust Him or not.  Our fleshly responses when things go wrong may provide some of the clearest, best insights into aspects of our character God desires us to repent of as sinful and be more like Him today and moving forward.