My wife and I have been talking about our fitness and health a lot more these days. I think most of us would agree, the older you get the more upkeep you have to do! I told her that the only way I could stay in shape and regularly eat healthily is if I had a group around me who were doing the same and had similar goals. I had an experience with this concept with my spiritual life recently. I was picking up a couch from a gentleman on Facebook marketplace. I stopped by his house and he helped me load up the couch into my truck. I offered to pray for him and we ended up having an almost two-hour conversation about the different ways we have been seeing God move lately. I left that conversation feeling alive and encouraged, I felt spiritually sharp.
That conversation was a great reminder for me. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. “ Proverbs 27:17 Seclusion and isolation have many negative effects associated with them but one of them is they have the ability to produce a spiritual dullness. Now I can’t think of very many tools where being dull is a good thing, in fact, many tools (especially blades) actually become more dangerous when they are dull.
We want our knives to be sharp and effective. The Lord and the world around us are needing the same out of us. Are you feeling tired or experiencing a lack of motivation to do the Lord’s work or to encounter his presence? Maybe you just need a little sharpening. Perhaps there is someone you really look up to who is on fire for God. Go spend some time with them. Let them sharpen you, let them encourage and empower you. We were never meant to walk out our faith alone. I know that our problems are not solved by just getting around others, but, there is something powerful in walking together and empowering one another. So, I encourage you, if you are feeling dull and reserved in your spirit, to step out and allow yourself to be sharpened by your brothers and sisters in Christ!
Be Sharpened!
My wife and I have been talking about our fitness and health a lot more these days. I think most of us would agree, the older you get the more upkeep you have to do! I told her that the only way I could stay in shape and regularly eat healthily is if I had a group around me who were doing the same and had similar goals. I had an experience with this concept with my spiritual life recently. I was picking up a couch from a gentleman on Facebook marketplace. I stopped by his house and he helped me load up the couch into my truck. I offered to pray for him and we ended up having an almost two-hour conversation about the different ways we have been seeing God move lately. I left that conversation feeling alive and encouraged, I felt spiritually sharp.
That conversation was a great reminder for me. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. “ Proverbs 27:17 Seclusion and isolation have many negative effects associated with them but one of them is they have the ability to produce a spiritual dullness. Now I can’t think of very many tools where being dull is a good thing, in fact, many tools (especially blades) actually become more dangerous when they are dull.
We want our knives to be sharp and effective. The Lord and the world around us are needing the same out of us. Are you feeling tired or experiencing a lack of motivation to do the Lord’s work or to encounter his presence? Maybe you just need a little sharpening. Perhaps there is someone you really look up to who is on fire for God. Go spend some time with them. Let them sharpen you, let them encourage and empower you. We were never meant to walk out our faith alone. I know that our problems are not solved by just getting around others, but, there is something powerful in walking together and empowering one another. So, I encourage you, if you are feeling dull and reserved in your spirit, to step out and allow yourself to be sharpened by your brothers and sisters in Christ!