Warning! Long post ahead!

Can a knife be too sharp? I guess if you want to use it as a hammer, the answer would have to be yes. But who in their right mind does that?

We are told that iron sharpens iron. And we heard it as if in a positive sense. Do my brothers and sisters understand this proverb? The reason I ask is because when I come alongside someone to speak about God’s things they often run away. And sadly enough, I have been guilty of the same thing. If it is a lack of understanding, that’s understandable.

Mind if I investigate?

Why would anyone scrape two chunks of iron together so as to sharpen them? They have no handle. They have no specific purpose. And you no sooner sharpen them a bit and rust takes over. What a useless endeavor indeed.

Modern man does not understand the proverb. Sharpening is for a task. Sharpening removes a few pieces of essential material. In a sense, sharpening is an act of destruction. Sharpening requires diligence (honing after every task is required ). And we must admit, no two pieces of iron can pick themselves up and intentionally sharpen one another.

It is a third party who will do all these things according to his own will. Blades of iron which refuse to cooperate are hammered down and thrown into the furnace. But that iron which yields to the masters hand will find itself exceedingly useful.

The Lord places two pieces of iron side by side and rubs them together causing friction and heat. A certain destruction is taking place by the will of God. Don’t be surprised if the guy next to you rubs you the wrong way.

Specifically what is it in us that refuses to be sharpened by our fellow man? Isn’t it pride? And doesn’t pride continually threaten to have us thrown into the fire?

There are issues that divide people from one another.  If friends want to stay united they will often avoid these issues.  There are such issues which should not be discussed because their only value is that they divide. 

But there are other issues which naturally divide men one from another yet are essential for our survival.  If we ignore those essential issues it is to our detriment.

Jesus is one of the latter.  He is the least likely to be discussed between friends.  Yet he is the very breath we breathe.  He is the reason that you have a friend at all!  In fact he is the reason that you know what the word friend means.

It is such a challenge.  Only the Lord is able to help.  To roll gargantuan concepts into three or four lines.  And why is it necessary?  Because the people of my language have become lazy.  With a variety of excuses they refused to read more than one paragraph.

There is so much to learn.  There is so much to say.  But they refused steadfastly.  So the Sovereign Lord has been down to meet them where they are.  If they cannot hear many words will they even hear a few?

An unwilling heart produces a mold ridden brain.  Mold thrives in cold dark places.

One summer’s day when I had very little else to do I went into town.  I walked down Main Street taking in the sights and the lights.  All the stores were in full array, the harvest was looming near.

Just passed the goldsmith’s shop was a narrow wooden door.  I had not noticed it before.  Above the door, in rather small letters, the sign simply read “time”. 

I opened the door out of curiosity and stepped inside.  A long room lay before me.  At the back of the room was a single desk.  There were no carpets, no chairs, no tables or no magazines.  There was nothing provided for customers.

Behind the desk sat immense young man.  I would guess him to be about his middle 30’s.  He looked extremely strong, not at all the decrepit old bearded man I expected to find.

He gazed up over the top of his glasses and looked  directly into my eyes.  A split second was all it took for him to identify me.  “What are you doing here, Robert Styes?”  He asked.

His recognition of me was startling, so it took me a moment to respond.  “I only came in out of curiosity sir.  But I would like to ask you a few questions about where you came from what you do and where you will go.”

Time simply blinked once.  “I don’t answer questions and I have nothing for you.  I’ll kill you when I’m ready.  Now go away.”   With that he bowed his head again to continue the work I had interrupted.

I backed out the door through which I had come and gently, quietly, slowly, closed the latch.  I have not been the same since that day.  For I find myself constantly looking four time’s approach.