You’re a Tool

When's the last time you sat down with a friend and had a deep conversation about God? I mean sat down and really talked about who God is? Who Jesus is? What He has done in your life? When is the last time you have really encountered the living God?

I was sitting with two of my pastor friends the other day. And when we sit and drink coffee and really get into it, time seems to slide so quickly! We are very different in our theology, in the way we minister to our people, and are even different in how we view many things, yet we are able to talk about God and how he uses us as tools.

There's a verse in the Bible that talks about this:

"As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17

This is a verse that I have heard as a kid. I never really thought about it. But as I was sitting and talking to my friends, that verse jumped out to me! We, in our conversation over coffee, sharpened each other. Think about this...when you use a knife sharpener it scrapes off layers of the knife to make the knife super sharp so that you can cut your tomatoes without squishing them. If we are considered to be tools to be used we will need to be sharpened consistently to be the best we can be. I think that other thing that is important to understand that sometimes our conversations with those who don't always believe the same can help us think outside the box. You don't necessarily have to change how you believe, but it does make you more understanding and a better person.

So my challenge is this...find your sharpener and if you have one...spend more time in honest conversation and really listen to each other.

The other thing about being used as a tool, if you are not sharp you can cause more damage than good! No one likes to cut tomatoes with a dull knife. It ends up shredding the edges and squishing out all the guts. Let that image set in. Just saying...