AUGUST 21, 2012
Sharpening
One Another
Read: 1 Kings 19:19-21
As iron
sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
—Proverbs 27:17
Social networks on the Internet are on the rise. Even
when separated
by great distance, people are still able to gain insights and a
listening
ear from peers on-line. Blogs, Twitter, e-mail, and Web links add to
the ways we can receive and give spiritual guidance.
But it’s also valuable to meet face to face with mature
believers for
mentoring. “Elisha . . . followed Elijah” (1 Kings 19:21), and
Paul
mentored Timothy as “a true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2). He even
admonished Timothy to set up a chain of mentoring which would
multiply
spiritual growth (2 Tim. 2:2). Moses exhorted parents to teach
their children
throughout their day: “when you sit in your house, when
you walk by the way,
when you lie down, and when you rise up”
(Deut. 6:7). The Master Teacher,
Christ Himself, illustrated how to
mentor: “He appointed twelve, that they
might be with Him and that
He might send them out” (Mark 3:14).
From these passages we see the value of meeting face to
face in a
variety of settings so that we can sharpen one another spiritually
(Prov. 27:17). Along life’s journey, there are times when we can
benefit from a
wise guide or provide this same service to one who
wants to follow.
Lord,
who could be my mentor? And is there a
younger
person in the faith I could help?
Please
lead me so that I might grow stronger
spiritually
and help others as well.
We
need each other to get where God wants us to go.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
