Stay Sharp!

by Macy Johnson

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

(Proverbs 27:17 NIV)

 

My husband and I acquired a set of Global knives when my brother, Robin, owned a high-end kitchen emporium. These knives have served us well for more than a decade. After my husband hand-washes each knife, he sharpens it before placing it on the magnetic rack over our kitchen counter. My favorite kitchen tools are always ready to carve meat or chop vegetables with ease.

 

I remember my grandmother’s carving knife. It appeared every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter as we gathered around her table for sumptuous holiday meals. Each year the knife’s blade grew smaller and smaller until the silver handle was larger than the blade. It had been sharpened many times by my grandfather and had become only a reflection of the magnificent tool it once was.

 

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

(Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

 

The Bible is a double-edged sword, the main tool in a believer’s kit. I use it often for insight, wisdom, knowledge, and much-needed guidance. The words on its pages are aimed at cancerous tumors in my heart. Like a surgeon uses a scalpel, God cuts out dangerous diseases in my soul.

 

Steven Covey in Habit 7:Sharpen the Saw tells his readers to “seek continuous improvement and renewal.” When we sharpen the saw, iron against iron, sparks fly!

Heat is produced! Like the burning that rises in our hearts when we are rubbed the wrong way, this painful process changes, purifies, and polishes our souls.

 

I will yield to the Master Surgeon’s scalpel as I soak in His Word. I hope you will, too!