Iron Sharpens Iron
My Dad has been sharpening my lawnmower blades for years. He still can take a dull blade to his bench grinder and in a matter of minutes put a razor sharp edge on it. This is the interaction of bringing the rough surface of the grind or whetstone into proper contact with the metal edge of the cutting blade. The end product can be seen after the blade is bolted back to the mower's underside and the first run up the lawn has taken place. Looking back, one can see that blades of tender grass have been evenly cut so that the lines of each pass have a certain attractive symmetry to them. A keen eye is always able to detect when a blade is sharp! In the Bible, this process of "sharpening influence" upon another is applied to friend-to-friend communication. The writer to the Proverbs says, "As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens another" (27:17). The Bible has numerous examples of friends encouraging friends: David-Jonathon, Ruth-Naomi, Jesus-Peter, James and John,