Oct 16 2008
spiritual whetstones
Here is a link to today’s reading:
Some people makes us better just by being around us; others drag us down. Christians are called to sharpen each other, to “spur one another on to love and good deeds.” Proverbs 27:17 reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” That is the vision for how Christians should interact. Let us never forget God’s call that we be spiritual whetstones for one another.
Today’s Challenge:
If you had one month to live who could you help sharpen with encouragement or a word of wise counsel? Are you connected with people who sharpen you or leave you dull? Discuss with a friend or with your challenge group how you could help sharpen each other.
Textual Reflections:
This text begins with one of the most amazing of Christian claims. In Christ we have direct access to God. You may be interested to know that the reference to the curtain is talking about the curtain that covered the central most part of the temple. This curtain was only crossed by the High Priest on special occasions and was never entered by anyone else. It was a permanent visible reminder of how people were separated from God. This giant curtain tore in half on the night of Jesus crucifixion.
In this case however the author is more concerned about the access to God that we have through Jesus and not simply the torn cloth. We can draw near to God because we have the assurance of faith, the cleansing of our hearts and the washing of pure water. I will remark here on a cool little thing. At Mountain and we talk about the five elements of the process of salvation. Believe, Repent, Baptism, Confession and New Life in the Spirit. I see all these elements in verses 22 and 23 of this chapter: Believe (assurance of faith), Repent (the cleansing of our hearts), Baptism (the washing of pure water), Confession (the hope we profess) and Life in the Spirit (he who promised is faithful - this is weakest connection but I still see it.)
It is in light of this remarkable access to God that we get the core call of this text. It is as if he is saying, “We get direct access to God, how could we avoid regularly coming together. As we all are drawing near to God it is natural that we would draw near to one another. So let’s do it!”
I think that sounds like a great idea.
on the walk
-Ethan
