We have all heard the saying from Proverbs 27:17 that iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another. It is saying that one new to the Christian faith will not have to wait long to hear. It is a passage that speaks truth in many ways and a truth that engenders the spirit of this blog. It is the idea behind the attitude of lifting your brother up, pushing him onward and traversing beside him along the journey of life until that glorious day when our faith will (and that is a definite) be made sight.
However, stop and think for a minute if you truly are iron. Have you been iron to your brothers in your church, in your family, at your workplace? Or have you been wood.
Inevitably we come in contact with other people. This is something we all face unless you are a hermit who lives up in the woods and in that case you would not be reading this blog. When we come in contact with people we metaphorically rub against them. It might be a simple glance or a look, maybe a few words or a long conversation, but any interchange with a person is a rub of some kind.
To over simplify this matter allow me to create two categories, those of positive rubbing, Iron, and those of negative, wood. You see when Iron rubs against Iron it makes the Iron sharper, better, more useful. However when wood rubs against wood you end up with friction. Sure you might start a fire and it might be useful in some sense, but most of the time you merely get friction and heat, two things that only exacerbate situations.
We have two ways of reacting to those in which we come in contact. We can be iron or wood. One who is iron will heed the biblical concept of loving their neighbor, of ceasing from course jesting, of being perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect. In a word they live by the spirit. Those who are wood live by the flesh, which leads to death.
So let me ask you today, are you Wood or Iron?
However, stop and think for a minute if you truly are iron. Have you been iron to your brothers in your church, in your family, at your workplace? Or have you been wood.
Inevitably we come in contact with other people. This is something we all face unless you are a hermit who lives up in the woods and in that case you would not be reading this blog. When we come in contact with people we metaphorically rub against them. It might be a simple glance or a look, maybe a few words or a long conversation, but any interchange with a person is a rub of some kind.
To over simplify this matter allow me to create two categories, those of positive rubbing, Iron, and those of negative, wood. You see when Iron rubs against Iron it makes the Iron sharper, better, more useful. However when wood rubs against wood you end up with friction. Sure you might start a fire and it might be useful in some sense, but most of the time you merely get friction and heat, two things that only exacerbate situations.
We have two ways of reacting to those in which we come in contact. We can be iron or wood. One who is iron will heed the biblical concept of loving their neighbor, of ceasing from course jesting, of being perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect. In a word they live by the spirit. Those who are wood live by the flesh, which leads to death.
So let me ask you today, are you Wood or Iron?
4 comments:
Intriguing...even so, aren't most people both iron and word? It seems as though we are iron to some people and wood to others. (I personally fancy myself titanium...although that is merely a fancy.) I would rather ask myself to whom am I iron, and to whom am I wood? Is it people, groups, conventions or conferences? I don't know of course...just worth thinking about.
Anonymous,
It is worth thinking about, but I would venture to say that the Christian who trying to be completely holy is trying to be iron to everyone.
However, your point on groups is great. It is true that we need to make sure that as we serve a God of no partiality we are Christians of no partiality. This means complete compassion to the entire world believer or non-believer, our race or another, our denomination or church affiliation or another. It all must be done in love, as iron.
What this also means is that, in love, we do not back down from the important ideals. We can and should be able to loving make a stand for our beliefs, consistently being iron.
Thanks for your comment.
Madison
Deep thoughts from a deep thinker. Me likey.
(Sorry I don't have something more substantive to say)
This is a good word.
Also, if you rub up against wood too much, you're going to get a splinter!
course jesting
Is this like when you speak playfully about the Systematic theology class you are taking?
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