Old Friends are Good Friends
I had the opportunity today to bump into an old friend whom I have not seen for some time. It's kind of fuzzy since neither one of us could figure out when the last time was that we had gotten together. What did come out was a lot of changes happening over the course of time. Catching up was a vital part of an Easter meal together. It kind of reminds me of the proverb:
Proverbs 27:17 (NASB)
[17] Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
Our wives were catching up on different things while the guys talked. My friend brightened my day listening to my tale of trying to reach out to the Lord and offering advice to help the change along. I in turn was able to talk to him about focus on the Lord since his retirement. As i reflected on what was said during the meal, it occurred to me that the two of us were still in the process of sharpening each other. For me to ignore the possibilities of this would be to loose out on a valuable lesson. We were made for fellowship with each other and to keep oneself from fellowship is to invite disaster. I also think of the proverb about separation and foolishness:
Proverbs 18:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 18
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
[18:1] He who separates himself seeks his own desire,
He *quarrels against all sound wisdom.
This passage is rather interesting in that a person who separates themselves from others ends up pushing wisdom, and in this case sound wisdom, aside. From the passage in Proverbs 2:7, it is the Lord who lays up Sound Wisdom for the upright. This would seem to indicate that separation flies in the face of what the Lord is attempting to do in our lives. If we separate ourselves we do not provide the Lord with the opportunity to teach us by example, by going through a trial to refine our dependence on Him. It says in Hebrews:
Hebrews 10:21-25 (NASB)
[21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a *sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; [24] and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, [25] not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
This passage indicates that by getting together with others, we can stimulate each other to love and good deeds. It gives us the opportunity to see where each of us are going, to make a course correction if necessary, and to become deeply involved in each others lives. It means that we meet together in fellowship and also meet together one on one. It's that "iron sharpens iron" thing again. We can explore possibilities of faith in action, we can pray for others in hard trials that they may be going through, we can empathize with others at the right time, and the thing you talk about today may just be the thing that your brother or sister in the Lord need to hear. Just think of the possibilities.
Proverbs 27:17 (NASB)
[17] Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
Our wives were catching up on different things while the guys talked. My friend brightened my day listening to my tale of trying to reach out to the Lord and offering advice to help the change along. I in turn was able to talk to him about focus on the Lord since his retirement. As i reflected on what was said during the meal, it occurred to me that the two of us were still in the process of sharpening each other. For me to ignore the possibilities of this would be to loose out on a valuable lesson. We were made for fellowship with each other and to keep oneself from fellowship is to invite disaster. I also think of the proverb about separation and foolishness:
Proverbs 18:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 18
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
[18:1] He who separates himself seeks his own desire,
He *quarrels against all sound wisdom.
This passage is rather interesting in that a person who separates themselves from others ends up pushing wisdom, and in this case sound wisdom, aside. From the passage in Proverbs 2:7, it is the Lord who lays up Sound Wisdom for the upright. This would seem to indicate that separation flies in the face of what the Lord is attempting to do in our lives. If we separate ourselves we do not provide the Lord with the opportunity to teach us by example, by going through a trial to refine our dependence on Him. It says in Hebrews:
Hebrews 10:21-25 (NASB)
[21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a *sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; [24] and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, [25] not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
This passage indicates that by getting together with others, we can stimulate each other to love and good deeds. It gives us the opportunity to see where each of us are going, to make a course correction if necessary, and to become deeply involved in each others lives. It means that we meet together in fellowship and also meet together one on one. It's that "iron sharpens iron" thing again. We can explore possibilities of faith in action, we can pray for others in hard trials that they may be going through, we can empathize with others at the right time, and the thing you talk about today may just be the thing that your brother or sister in the Lord need to hear. Just think of the possibilities.