Proverbs 27:17 likens the edification of the Body of Christ by the interaction of believers to the sharpening of iron with iron. In order for Christians to “sharpen” one another, we must not only be willing to admonish and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, but also be willing to allow them to “sharpen” us. This requires us to humble ourselves before our fellow believers, knowing that the sharpening process can sometimes be difficult. We must also ensure that our “sharpening” is always done and received in the Spirit of God’s love with the goal of restoring and perfecting our Christian fellowship.
Bible Book: Proverbs
You can have tremendous success in this life. You can be book smart and possess every ounce of common sense available, but if you die without knowing Jesus, every bit of it will be in vain. King Solomon wasted a lot of time thinking he was in the right place. Fortunately, he discovered this truth, repented, and left this world truly knowing God.
God’s intent with Proverbs 22:6 is two-fold. First, to encourage His children to raise their children in a righteous manner. And second, to see Him as your Heavenly Father, who through the work of His Son Jesus, and through the leading and guiding of His Spirit, stands as the parent who is training you.
Properly applying the wisdom of God as found in His Word can assure that we enjoy the blessings of good friends in this life and can help us look forward to enjoying these dear friends in eternity. You know… of all the friendships we could develop, none is better than the one we can have with the One who truly “sticks closer than a brother” – our Lord Jesus Christ!
Proverbs offers us a series of simple comparisons that teach us fundamental truths about life. King Solomon, the wisest man ever known shares with us the difference between pursuing a life of wisdom and pursuing folly. Wisdom being, instruction, knowledge, and understanding while folly is the opposite.
Our ultimate antagonist is none other than Satan himself. He is God’s number one enemy and therefore makes him our number one enemy. If we are in a spiritual war where each day has the potential to bring us a new and different battle, then we must do some things to make sure we are prepared for the fight. One of the first things is to understand our enemy or enemies.
Biblical illiteracy and lack of spiritual maturity is quickly becoming an alarming trend across Christian churches. God – since the moment He granted Adam dominion over the earth has always encouraged His children to pursue knowledge, understanding and wisdom. He did this because He knew how desperately we would need His laws and His structure as we daily face the trials and tribulations our current culture is forcing onto the believer. We must develop a personal plan of discipleship, we must teach the next generation about God, Jesus, Salvation, and the Holy Spirit. No longer should it be acceptable to sit at home or in the pew with the attitude of, “the church doesn’t need me anymore. They have plenty of others to do that.” God expects every believer to study and then teach someone else all that God has taught them.


