Paper, Stone and Iron Scissors

(Proverbs 27:17 KJV)  Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

As I read this again I had another thought about the steel rod that came with my wife’s knives.  The idea being expressed here is that we need fellowship.  We can keep each other sharp.  That is good as far as it goes.

There are other aspects of being sharp.  One is that it is not enough to just use other iron to sharpen iron.  Eventually we need to use the stone.  In this case that means that we also need the divine touch to stay where we should be spiritually.  As important as fellowship with believers is in our growth and maintenance, nothing can take the place of coming into contact with the living God on a regular basis.

So?  It is not enough to read what others have to say about prayer.  It is not enough to listen to others talk about what they read in the Bible.  It is not enough for others to share how their faith helped them through a tough time.  We must also pray, read and trust.  Let God make you sharp enough to benefit from contact with other believers.