The Best: Part 1Muestra

Prayer: Father, thank you for the ways you’ve made me more like you because of my friends. Please place consistent, Christ-centered community around me all of my life, and grow me to be more like your Son because of their presence. Teach me now through your word.

The Faithful Friend’s Function

Have you ever had a friend point out a piece of breakfast lodged in your teeth, or a bit of tissue stuck to your face? How did you respond? Did your face turn blood red, your knuckles swell, and anger course through your veins? Of course not! You likely grabbed your pocket floss and thanked them for their kindness. But what about a slightly more serious confrontation? Have you ever had a friend call you out when your “venting” turned quickly into gossiping? Have you ever had a friend call you to repentance for some long-held bitterness? Have you ever had a friend stop you mid-sentence, and lovingly tell you to get some time with your Creator? The book of Proverbs talks about the value of this exact type of friend.

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). In the ancient context of these words, this wasn’t a pretty process. Sparks would be flying, sweat would be covering the laborer, and the instrument receiving the sharpening would be red hot. The author’s choice of metaphor here was no accident! Often, this is a similar process to what we experience in the kind of confrontation mentioned previously. It can feel like the worst thing we could possibly do for our friend (or have done to us) is “sharpen” in such a fashion, yet our God calls us to it.

Here’s why: without the momentarily painful act of sharpening, the item on the receiving end would remain as dull as it was before. The metal would be unformed and ultimately less useful. The would-be sword would only ever function as a stick. In the same way, to chip away at the muck on our outer surface, revealing the self we were created by God Himself to be, we must have faithful friends.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. When is the last time I underwent the sharpening process? How did it feel? How do I feel about it now?
2. Do I have friends around me dedicated to helping me become the person Christ created me to be?

What’s Next? 

1. A “sin hunting license” is full permission to identify and eliminate sin in your life. Consider giving this to one of your friends or family members today.