Proverbs 27:17 People who need people

As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.

One of my favorite places when I was a kid was at my grandparents' farm. They enjoyed doing things "the old way" and I loved to follow them around and soak it all in. My grandfather would often sit at his grinding wheel and sharpen a tool so that when he was ready to use it, it would be at its peak performance. Patiently turning the wheel at just the right speed, and holding the tool at just the right angle, he would produce a fine edge.

It would not be effective if he tried to use a dull hoe to rid his garden of weeds. It wouldn't work very well to try and chop wood with a dull axe. So, he sharpened his tools in order to get the work done, and to do it well.

In the same way, we can have a "sharpening" effect on our friends. As Christians, it is helpful for us to have friends who assist us in growing in faith and grace --- in becoming more like Him. We need to be at peak performance in order to be used by our Father in His work.

I found these verses that go along with our verse for the day:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  Hebrews 10:24

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up  I Thessalonians 5:11a

Remember how I said that my grandad sat patiently at the wheel? He was never in a hurry when he was sharpening an edge. So we must be patient with our friends as we try to encourage them and keep them on the right pathway:

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Romans 15:1

I like how the King James version translates 2 Corinthians 3:18:  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  To me, glory to glory sounds like "step by step."  We are on a pathway, and there are others behind us, on the lower steps. It is up to us to take their hand and encourage them to keep climbing up the steps. Urge them to keep trying.

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10

After all, our Father is patient with us! 

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15