Pastor's Word
September 10th - God Sharpens Us
GROWTH IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE: Getting Re-Sharpened
We are living in the golden age of knife steels. In the last 25 years, there has been an explosion of new knife steels that have been engineered and tweaked for top performance in various categories. The average knife user may not have noticed because many of the older, less-expensive steels are still marketed for those who are uneducated or who just don’t care.
Proverbs 27:17 says,
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
While that is true of plain iron and even lower-grade steels (iron mixed with carbon and other elements), many of the newer steels are so hard that iron and stones cannot sharpen them. It takes various grades and sizes of diamond grit to get the job done.
People and cultures, like steels, have changed too. We live in an age of rapidly-changing technologies. The rate of growth in available information—and misinformation—is almost unfathomable. For this reason, especially in Western civilization, it takes a lot more knowledge to keep us sharp. There's so much available information, and so many people trying to deceive and mislead, that it can feel overwhelming. In many ways, we are more vulnerable.
But God, in His foreknowledge, knew these days were coming. He has ordained specialists, godly scientists, and informed disciple-makers to help Christians navigate through these difficult waters.
We need others.
We need ongoing training and discipleship to keep us sharp—and to re-sharpen us when we get blindsided, lethargic, discouraged, or defeated by sin and deception.
Find Your Diamonds
Don’t seek “new ways” to find God.
Instead, find people who can help you maintain your grasp on the ancient truths and guide you through the ever-increasing flood of information.
Remember this axiom regarding God and spiritual things:
“If it is new, it is not true. If it is true, it is not new.”
Scientific, medical, and technological knowledge is expanding—and we do need some awareness of it. But the way to experience a life-changing, soul-saving relationship with God is the same today as it was 1000 years ago.
Jesus is still the way, the truth, and the life.
The way we navigate through this dangerous world may have changed—but our anchor remains the same.
Find disciple-making pastors, friends, and teachers to keep you sharp and to re-sharpen you when needed.
Stay sharp! I’m not just cutting up here!