by David Brenneman
"Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17.
"In conclusion, sharpening a knife is a process that requires patience and attention to detail. By avoiding common mistakes such as trying to change the sharpening angle too dramatically, using the wrong tools, or not being patient enough, you can ensure that your knife stays sharp and effective." - www.tumblerware.com
I grew up with a Dad who liked to make knives. Usually out of stainless steel or sometimes wood if it was a prototype. He certainly was very good at what he did.
I learned some of the basics of the right and wrong ways to make and sharpen knives from him.
As that excerpt from that website pointed out...the wrong angle, too much taken off one side vs the other side, wrong tools, too much pressure and not enough patience and a knife is ruined.
In the lives of Believers we're supposed to be engaging with others in Christ in order to fulfill things such as this passage suggests. Interestingly enough this passage was the verse of the day on my Bible app today.
We can't sharpen ourselves. A knife with virtually no edge is essentially a butter knife. Nothing truly serious can be done with it aside from soft foods such as butter or peanut butter.
This too reminds me of another passage that too is of being what we are to be in Christ.
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men." Matthew 5:13.
We need to be of the right angle, the right material, the right pressure, with the right angle of approach, and right amount of patience to be able to fulfill Proverbs 27:17. Too much work on one side of a blade and you can ruin the edge.
We can easily make an already bad situation worse without preparation ahead of time to help others.
Some have termed it as being "prayed up".
As in the real world of knife sharpening so it is with people.
Know what you are getting into before you step in thinking that you are helping.
Iron sharpening iron is actually two materials that aren't technically the same rubbing against each other. The tool doing the sharpening has been trained to be doing what it is to be doing. Been hardened, probably shaped with serrations to be able to remove material on softer metals. Next comes the various levels, course, medium, and soft. The right pressure must be used or damage will be incurred. The two surfaces must be in contact for a specific length of time at the right angle. Patience must win the day.
We can have a great many good intentions at helping others but running in roughshod shouldn't be one of them.
Pray first to find out if indeed it should be you helping at this point in time. It may be only for you to pray for someone else that God will use to help in this situation.
If it is you then knowing the full situation is important. You can only truly help if all the cards are on the table.
Listen to the Spirit. He already knows everything we don't.
It may mean being brutally honest with people. Whatever the Spirit directs be prepared to obey in saying or doing.
The end result is to be useful to our Lord Jesus Christ in the way He wants, how He wants for however long He says it should be.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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