To sharpen an iron, you need another iron.

“As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

It is God’s vision and expectation that we need to grow and develop with the help and support of other people. This is why God placed you in God’s community, called the church. A church home is essential to everyone because that is the place God encourages, equips, and sharpens you to become all God wants you to become. Indeed, it is the primary function of all Christian churches to equip, sharpen and send them as fit servants of the Lord.
Our insight says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We need a helping hand, encouragement, and motivation from others to become all God wants us to grow. Of course, God is the one who enables you with varied spiritual gifts. However, it is the watering of others in the community that allows them to blossom to the fullest extent possible.

If you want to sharpen iron, you need another iron. I remember an early growing age; we used to sharpen one iron cutter with another iron. If left separate, both will become useless eventually. One iron cutter sharpens the other iron cutter for effective cutting and slicing. The principle is an iron needs another iron to get sharper and effective. The same is true in your life. You need friends who would encourage, help, and motivate you to become all that you are.

Choose your friends wisely. What you need are friends who know your talents and abilities and will sharpen you to become the best in your area. You can find trustworthy friends. However, do not waste time with friends who would not let you develop to the fullest extent God intended for you.

In my experience, there are three types of friends. Friends who stick with you like a brother to motivate and encourage you. The second type of friend is those who are passive. They are merely there, but they won’t do anything for your development, and they do not do good or bad to you. The third type of friend is harmful. They potentially look for an opportunity to pull you down from your development to the fullest extent God wanted you to become.

It would help if you had friends who would come along with you in your difficulties and get you out of there. Not only would they pull you out, but also they would be committed to your development to the fullest extent.

I believe you need both Christian and non-Christian friends. It would help if you had Christian, faithful, trustworthy friends who can contribute to your development. You, in turn, can contribute much to their growth and usefulness for God. You need non-Christian friends to share the good news of the gospel. They can look at you, watch you and understand about the savior of the world-Jesus Christ.

Now, the very best friend you can ever have is none other than Jesus. He becomes your best and trustworthy friend because He stood silently to all accusations and died in your place for your sins. He was buried and victoriously rose again to save you from all sins and shortcomings. Jesus said, and it is recorded in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” No friends can ever love you like Jesus did, because he laid down his life to make you reconciled to God the Father. Bible says in Romans 5:7-8, most people would not be even willing to die for an upright person. However, someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who especially useful. But God showed his great love for you by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  Therefore you need Jesus, the best friend you can ever imagine.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? “Father in heaven, I want Jesus as my best friend. I invite him to come to my life because I believe He died, buried, and rose again to save and bless me. I understand I need Christian and non-Christian friends for a healthy and useful life for your glory. However, could you help me to choose my friends wisely? I want good, faithful, and trustworthy friends who would stay with me to become all you want me to become. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”