Sharpened Friends

Knives and boys go together like
peanut butter and jelly

Martin Wiles tells us, "True friends hold one another accountable."

"Boys and knives. When I was young, they went together like peanut butter and jelly. There were two important
 rules: 'Never cut toward you' and 'Be careful with a dull knife.'

I loved knives so I started a collection that included a long hunting knife and several pocket knives. I made a habit of looking at knives in every store I visited. I oiled them and kept them clean. Most importantly, I kept them sharpened.

A knife is still a standard feature in my pocket just like keys and fingernail clippers. I may not need it often, but when I do it’s there — a trusted friend who performs well when available and sharp.

I remember the emptiness I felt when I misplaced a favorite knife . . . and the joy I experienced when I discovered it in a pair of pants I hadn’t worn for a year.

By the very nature of the term, friendships should be beneficial and will be when time and a good cutting edge are present. Friends sharpen other friends. My friends make me a better person.

True friends hold one another accountable. When a genuine friend views another as traveling a destructive path, they confront each other because they care.

Friends help when they see each other experiencing financial challenges or struggling with difficult decisions. Friends stretch my mental capabilities by helping me view ideas with greater clarity.

An authentic friend may attack my ideas, attitudes, or actions but they will never attack me. And that parrots the mindset of our best friend, God, who sharpens us.

God knows who and what we need to help make us the best we can be. He places those we can trust to care for us, challenge us, and sharpen us so we are prepared for what the world tosses at us.

When friends give advice, remember it comes from love. Adverse circumstances, disagreements, and times of testing, like in our trials with Christ, make us stronger."

"As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend." Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

Sharpened Friends – Martin Wiles

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Senior Editor, Cindy Sproles of www.christiandevotions.us

Photo courtesy of microsoft.com free image gallery

Martin Wiles is a native South Carolinian, author and speaker currently residing in Hodges, South Carolina. He and his wife Michelle are the founders of Love Lines From God http://www.lovelinesfromgod.com/.

Wiles has authored Morning By Morning, Morning Serenity and Grace Greater Than Sin and has served as a regional correspondent for the Baptist Courier. He has also been published in Proclaim, Secret Place ,Word Magic and Fires of Genius.

He is a regular contributor to Christian Devotions, Christian Writers, PCCWebDaily, The WOW Blog, Faith Writers, The Eagle Record, and the Common Ground Herald.

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Used by permission www.christiandevotions.us

A post from July 21st may be of interest to you: The Treasure of Friendship 

In John C. Maxwell's book, "Failing Forward", he quotes Sam Peeples Jr. to have said: "The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am." [pg.97] 

"Lord, thank you for the reminder that far from

being stingy You bless us with good things in

abundance. Thank You for Your presence and

the comfort of the promises in Your Word.

Keep praising God from whom all blessings flow."

OUR DAILY BREAD

11/22/12



Today’s treasure truth #4: If you are “born again”,you are saved by grace through faith. Eph. 2:8

Our thought for today: Do you trust God for friends who'll be a good influence on you?

Saturday morning's post:  Do You Want a Life Less Ordinary?  Pocket Devotions

Saturday evening's post: Rest  Ann McCuley

Sunday's post:  God Speaks  Barbara Duram

   

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