Proverbs 27:17 - The right kind of fellowship
Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
When cutting a loaf of bread, people say "let the knife do all the work". That is good advise... if the knife is sharp. If the knife is blunt you will have a tough time cutting through the loaf, and will probably end up with a shabby looking slice of toast at the end of it.
It is the same with our faith in Christ. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ, John 14 promises us that a helper, the Holy Spirit, will fill us. In doing so we will be able to have a relationship with God and our minds will be renewed. We will be filled with the power of God. Matthew 19:26 states "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible".
When we put our trust in Christ we are adopted into the family of God and unplugged from this world to which we are all at one time in our lives (for some that means the whole of their life) slaves too.
Romans 6:16-18 "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Christ is the light of the world, and by putting our trust in Him that light resides within us. Matthew 5:14 states "You are the light of the world". John 1:5 states that the "light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it."
As Christians we are in the world, but not of the world. Romans 12:2 states, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
This means that although we live in a world that is filled with darkness, we are separate from it and are light. Romans 12:1 instructs us, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."
We must ensure that we are able to shine brightly in this dark environment and present ourselves to God worthy of the sacrifice which Christ Jesus made for us.
We are unable to do this if our light is dim. Just like the knife needs to be sharpened to cut through the loaf of bread in the above example, we need to ensure that our light is bright so that it may pierce through the darkness allowing us to show others the love of Christ and the sacrifice He made for them and also so that we may be able to remain worthy of that sacrifice and not succumb to our sinful nature.
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Those of us who have put our trust in Christ are soldiers behind enemy lines, constantly being bombarded every day, bombarded by other peoples actions, bombarded by our emotions, bombarded by our circumstances, bombarded by what we see and look at. We must take steps to ensure that our light within us remains bright, to ensure that we remain sharp. For if the light becomes dull, or we become blunt, we are sure to make a mess of life and of our relationship with God, just like we are sure to make a mess of our toast in the morning if we try to cut the loaf with a blunt knife.
In order to remain sharp and bright, we should focus on that which is light and good. Matthew 6:22 states “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Colossians 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth."
The most prominent ways to ensure you remain bright and sharp are to focus on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Hebrews 12:2 "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Proverbs 27:17 tells us that a way to do that is through the countenance of our friends. This is referring to fellowship with other believers who believe in the same Christ as you do. For no man is an island (this saying came from a monk, and not the Bible, but it is true!). In Corinthians Paul talks about how his boast is in the brethren (his brothers and sisters in the Lord) because they believe in what he believes and also show the light of Christ in their lives, just as his brethren boasts in him. We should come together to build each other up in the Lord.
Hebrews 3:13 states, " but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
1 Corinthians 14:26 states, " How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."
Just as iron sharpens iron, fellowship with other brothers and sisters in the Lord sharpens us as Christians in this dark world.
Churches today love fellowship, however it is important that we get the right fellowship. Socialising is nice, but ultimately this will not sharpen our walk in the faith. In order to do that, we must have more than just social meetings; we must exhort one another, come to each other for advice, read the Scriptures and praise God together. It is through this kind of fellowship, the right kind, that we can be sure that we will be sharpened. Not only will this allow us to cut through the darkness with ease, but it will also allow us to withstand in that darkness so that we do not succumb to the ways of the world. Proverbs 1:10 warns us, "My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent."
We should also study God's Word, for this is the true sharpening tool and the foundation of our faith. 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
Hebrews 4:12 states " For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Have fellowship with your brethren in the Lord, have fellowship with the Lord, and read His Word which is "sharper than any two-edged sword", and you will be certain that you will be light to the world and as sharpened iron. ...You will have no problem slicing your toast in the morning!
Just as Moses, after He had been in the presence of the Lord up on Mount Horeb in Exodus 34:35, the people who saw Him could see the Lord as his face shined from the glory of God.
Be Sharp.
-BACChristian
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| As Iron sharpens Iron |
It is the same with our faith in Christ. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ, John 14 promises us that a helper, the Holy Spirit, will fill us. In doing so we will be able to have a relationship with God and our minds will be renewed. We will be filled with the power of God. Matthew 19:26 states "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible".
When we put our trust in Christ we are adopted into the family of God and unplugged from this world to which we are all at one time in our lives (for some that means the whole of their life) slaves too.
Romans 6:16-18 "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Christ is the light of the world, and by putting our trust in Him that light resides within us. Matthew 5:14 states "You are the light of the world". John 1:5 states that the "light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it."
As Christians we are in the world, but not of the world. Romans 12:2 states, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
This means that although we live in a world that is filled with darkness, we are separate from it and are light. Romans 12:1 instructs us, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."
We must ensure that we are able to shine brightly in this dark environment and present ourselves to God worthy of the sacrifice which Christ Jesus made for us.
We are unable to do this if our light is dim. Just like the knife needs to be sharpened to cut through the loaf of bread in the above example, we need to ensure that our light is bright so that it may pierce through the darkness allowing us to show others the love of Christ and the sacrifice He made for them and also so that we may be able to remain worthy of that sacrifice and not succumb to our sinful nature.
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Those of us who have put our trust in Christ are soldiers behind enemy lines, constantly being bombarded every day, bombarded by other peoples actions, bombarded by our emotions, bombarded by our circumstances, bombarded by what we see and look at. We must take steps to ensure that our light within us remains bright, to ensure that we remain sharp. For if the light becomes dull, or we become blunt, we are sure to make a mess of life and of our relationship with God, just like we are sure to make a mess of our toast in the morning if we try to cut the loaf with a blunt knife.
In order to remain sharp and bright, we should focus on that which is light and good. Matthew 6:22 states “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Colossians 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth."
The most prominent ways to ensure you remain bright and sharp are to focus on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Hebrews 12:2 "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Proverbs 27:17 tells us that a way to do that is through the countenance of our friends. This is referring to fellowship with other believers who believe in the same Christ as you do. For no man is an island (this saying came from a monk, and not the Bible, but it is true!). In Corinthians Paul talks about how his boast is in the brethren (his brothers and sisters in the Lord) because they believe in what he believes and also show the light of Christ in their lives, just as his brethren boasts in him. We should come together to build each other up in the Lord.
Hebrews 3:13 states, " but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
1 Corinthians 14:26 states, " How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."
Just as iron sharpens iron, fellowship with other brothers and sisters in the Lord sharpens us as Christians in this dark world.
Churches today love fellowship, however it is important that we get the right fellowship. Socialising is nice, but ultimately this will not sharpen our walk in the faith. In order to do that, we must have more than just social meetings; we must exhort one another, come to each other for advice, read the Scriptures and praise God together. It is through this kind of fellowship, the right kind, that we can be sure that we will be sharpened. Not only will this allow us to cut through the darkness with ease, but it will also allow us to withstand in that darkness so that we do not succumb to the ways of the world. Proverbs 1:10 warns us, "My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent."
We should also study God's Word, for this is the true sharpening tool and the foundation of our faith. 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
Hebrews 4:12 states " For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Have fellowship with your brethren in the Lord, have fellowship with the Lord, and read His Word which is "sharper than any two-edged sword", and you will be certain that you will be light to the world and as sharpened iron. ...You will have no problem slicing your toast in the morning!
Just as Moses, after He had been in the presence of the Lord up on Mount Horeb in Exodus 34:35, the people who saw Him could see the Lord as his face shined from the glory of God.
Be Sharp.
-BACChristian
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