Knives need to remain sharp:
Many times we may have gone to use a knife to cut something. It may have been a pocketknife to carve something; or maybe a kitchen knife to carve your Thanksgiving turkey or some other food item.
There have been times when you went to use the knife of your choosing and you may have found that the knife was so dull that a butter knife would have probably been more effective.
You then either had to sharpen the knife, maybe taken it somewhere to get it sharpened, or see if you had another knife you can use instead.
Even after we have sharpened the knife, it will likely becomes dull again because most knives need constant maintenance to stay useful for their given purpose.
Believers need each other to stay sharp:
Like these knives, we need constant sharpening in order to stay useful and to actively grow as we strive to become complete in Christ.
As believer's we seem to have a built-in God given ability to sharpen each other as we utilize the tools and relationships that God has given us such as:
-A growing relationship with The Lord.
-Abiding in, reading, studying and living out God's Word.
-Being active in prayer.
-Allowing The Holy Spirit to work in your life.
-Growing with The Body of Christ doing life together as each of us play our individual parts as part of The Body serving God and each other.
God has given us all the tools and resources we need and as we actively utilize these tools and people God has placed in our lives no matter through times of trial or times of peace, we will continued to be sharpened.
As we do life together, God allows friction to take place and with this friction we should become sharpened as the dull edges we have in our lives are smoothed away.
Being used in each other's lives is a privilege:
What a joy and privilege it is to be used in helping sharpen others and to be sharpened by others. It is sad though, that many choose to remain dull just because they don't want to put out any effort and would rather remain isolated from others and thereby miss-out on the growth they can experience or help others experience!
One of the many blessings about our walk with the Lord is that He uses people around us, right where you and I are, to sharpen us.
Are you a sharp or dull knife?
We can think of a "sharp" Christian as a believer that isn't perfect but is actively growing in their relationship with the Lord, helping others grow...being a disciple who makes disciples. Someone who is on the alert against satan's attacks. Their faith and walk doesn't begin and end on Sundays, rather, they actively live out their faith in Jesus and strive to help others do the same day-to-day.
On the flip side, we can think of a "dull" Christian as a believer that has become ineffective or stagnant in their relationship with the Lord and others and may have become satan's prey as they have given in to this world and his influence. They may be a "Sunday only Christian" that does their "Sunday thing" but leaves church like a "check of the box" of weekly activities and they rarely live out their faith in Jesus.
The choice is yours:
The truth is that we either do things God's Way or we don't. Furthermore, the world and the enemy of your soul is more than happy to distract you from staying sharp.
I pray you strive to remain sharp in a world that aims to keep you dull.
The choice is up to you and I pray that you will allow Him to sharpen you for His Kingdom, Glory, and the good of The Body of Christ!
Strive to be sharpened and to help sharpen others in Jesus name.
Questions To Get Started With:
-Are you a sharp or dull Christian?
-Which would you rather be?
-How do you become sharpened?
-What will you do to stay sharp?
-Do you help sharpen others?
-Do you allow God and others to help sharpen you?
-Do you need sharpening?
-Is all of the above important to you?
-As a Christian why should this matter and why should these passages matter?
In Christ Alone,
Your Brother and Servant in Christ,
Randolph Koch
