A Sharp Knife

By Beth | September 18, 2018

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

For a couple of years my daughter and I were sellers on Amazon.com. It ended because of a knife.

It was a really good knife. We still use the one we have. When we began selling we knew to check for patents before ordering from China. Now we know to look for “Registered Trademarks.” Oops! It cost us so much we were out of business.

Five hundred knives that Amazon would not let us sell because our handle looked too much like one of a big-name seller.

While we were selling it I was surprised by a customer who wrote to complain that as he used his new knife it had gotten dull. He said he had taken good care of it and expected that it would last a long time.

“It will,” we assured him. “Sharpen it and try it again.”

The sharp edge of a used knife will get dull. That anyone would be surprised by that was mind boggling to us.

But, thinking about a woman in ministry who seems weary of the work, I realized she was much like that dull blade. She is working hard for the Lord. She puts in time and effort, taking on the burdens of the people she serves.

But, she is not “sharpening” herself. She goes to church and participates in a Bible study but it’s all a part of her service. She is not taking time to examine her own spiritual needs. She is not caring for her body as “a temple of the Holy Spirit”. She does not seek the kind of fellowship that would not just sharpen, but renew or refresh her for the work of the Lord.

We will all get dull if we fail to seek rest in the Lord. One of the ways that God cares for us is that He tells us to rest (Exodus 16:23), to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2), and to seek fellowship to strengthen our faith (1 John 1:7).

When we are feeling “dull” we can’t ignore one other principle in the scriptures. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).” Christian friends and encouragement are important.

Who will sharpen us when we feel dull? Only one who knows the Truth and is willing to share it.

Do you have someone like that who you can turn to when you are weary?

Will you be that Christian influence for someone else when you see that they are weary?