October 28: Filings

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. ~Proverbs 27:17

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching. ~Hebrews 10:23-25

Okay, tell the truth now. Are you better behaved in public or at home? Do you perform better when you are alone or when someone is watching? Do you do better when you know that there will be an evaluation or when you don’t think anyone will even notice? Is there a difference in your performance or behavior when you are paid or volunteering?

If we are honest, probably most of us would have to admit that we do perform better when others are watching than when we think no one will see. It’s pretty common. Recovery groups have, as part of the program, accountability partners and sponsors because it is just a fact that, when you have to report in, you are more conscious of doing well. Parole officers are mostly paid sponsors. Programs like weight watchers, where you get weighed frequently and pay according to your success, are another form of this basic human characteristic.

We do better when we know we are being watched. What we forget is, we’re always being watched by God! As my personal awareness of this grew, I would often realize that I was sinning right in God’s face. That’s what grieves the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, as humans, we give in to our pride, believing that we can do ok on our own, and don’t need help from anybody. Or, we secretly like our little sins. We prefer to call them idiosyncrasies.

We don’t really want to stop or change. So, we either won’t ask for help or, if we do ask, then we tend to sabotage the help given to justify continuing in our sin. We think, “I’m hopeless!” But the truth is, we refuse help. Or we let ourselves off the hook thinking, “God made me this way,” meaning, if you try to change me, you’re judging and that makes you the sinner! These are not the thoughts of a healthy person, but they are pretty common thoughts among us all.

When we are ready to get healthy so that we can grow, God’s solution is community. That is where we do best. These days, there is a lot of resistance to community. This is an expected result of relativism. “If it works for you, great!” is a product of our Western individualism and our insistence on doing it, “my way.” Few of us like having our concepts challenged.

“I’ll worship God in my own way.” We like God the way that we have made Him and we don’t want to learn that our concepts and ways of worship may not be His. We struggle with the idea of surrendering our opinions. We’ve become comfortable with calling the shots. The idea of an absolute truth doesn’t really appeal to us anymore. All this thinking is what goes on behind the closed doors of our minds. It takes a brave person to open the door to the possibility of the concept that, “I might be wrong!”

Yet, there is an absolute truth. There is a God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who wants to be known in truth, holiness, and righteousness. It is in true, Christ centered community, that He is revealed best. As you stay with community, your opinions and ideas may be challenged. “Iron does sharpen iron.” Sparks will fly. But you will be more useful to Him if you allow the process to continue.

Also, you may be challenged to be more obedient. “And Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” to become better servants for Him. We will also find encouragement: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching.” We need that more than ever from our fellow travelers because, as the day approaches, life will become more challenging. We need to keep running the race with the encouragement of others.

Finally, we need to be reminded who our audience is. God is our audience, and we seek His applause. He’s not as interested in seeing us as lone actors on a stage, but as part of a community that is pushing us to jump higher, run faster, sing louder and be bolder for Him than we could ever be and do on our own. He wants us to learn more about Him and grow wiser than we ever could on our own.

“Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the one who falls and has no one to help. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

We are stronger together for Him than we are on our own. We are more effective together for Him than we can be as individuals. By His design, life lived together for Him will bring Him more glory and advance His kingdom better than we can do alone. His Will is best accomplished, here on earth, when we come together and work together to accomplish it. And, if, in the process, we rub each other the wring way sometimes? Hey, it’s just iron sharpening iron, and it’s okay. Leave the filings on the floor and get on with the work.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the fellowship of believers. They are good for me, even if I chafe sometimes. I pray to be good for them too. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Song: Church