“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

The concept of “iron sharpens iron”implies two pieces of iron in connection with each other. One tool wouldn’t be sharper without the presence of the other. Both blades would be dull and useless without the other. This Proverb is about relationships and the call to improve our effectiveness in life and in the Lord. This is another reason why Christian Community is invaluable to the growth and wellbeing of the Body of Christ!

Friends, for iron to sharpen iron, the two irons must create tension between the two of them causing sparks to fly. The iron sharpening process smoothes out the jagged edges of one another by constant contact. In order, for Christians to improve their effectiveness in life and in the Lord, they need to be in community with other believers that will hold them accountable and challenge them to think, feel, choose and behave like Christ in every way.

This is best done in the context of healthy, loving, godly, positive, safe and maturing relationships.

This context is necessary for us to confess our faults and sins one to another as exhorted by James in James 5:16. Iron can’t sharpen iron without sparks flying. Sparks fly when the two irons confront one another and sparks flying is apart of the sharpening process.

Christians must be confronted by spiritually maturing Christians in love if they are to be effective in life and in the Lord. This who are unwilling to participate in or give themselves to the sharpening process of the Body of Christ will not be reach their full potential in Christ nor will they be as effective as they could possibly be in life or in the Lord. The iron sharpening process doesn’t feel good, but it’s vital to overall spiritual growth of the individual and household of faith. To be all that God wants us to be, we must let the sparks fly!

God, help me to humble myself and submit to the sharpening process of my community, Amen!

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