| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Resilience” Our Bible verse for today: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) Our thought for today: “The strength of others can make us strong.” Yesterday I told you about the funeral for my friend Tom and how it is that his life was an example and an inspiration for the rest of us. There’s a bit more that needs to be said about that. Tom was also the leader of our men’s ministry at church. He taught a monthly Bible study for our men’s group, and he led us as we scheduled various activities for the group (which seemed to consist mostly of meeting for Saturday morning breakfast at Cracker Barrel or Shoney’s but hey, guys need to eat). I failed to mention previously that because of the stroke Tom suffered almost thirty years ago, his mouth was twisted and it required a great deal of effort on his part to speak clearly. Listeners had to listen closely to catch what he was saying. Therefore, teaching a Bible study to a group of men took courage and extra effort on Tom’s part. But that was part of his strength. Tom didn’t shy away from challenges like that. When Solomon wrote in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”, he meant that as Christians we learn from each other, we draw inspiration and strength from each other, and we help each other to be better men and women. The strength of others can make us strong. This is a vitally important truth that we need to understand, embrace, and take advantage of. When God puts strong, resilient, inspirational people in our lives, we need to take advantage of that and spend time with them, learn from them, draw from their strength. One of the ways we become more resilient is by hanging around with people who already are. Tom was strong and tough for his own sake, but he was also strong and tough for the sake of others. Handicapped though he was, he worked at our local agency for the developmentally disabled because he wanted to be able to help those who were more limited in life than he was. Although he needed a walker to slowly even get to his truck once he was in his truck, he then gave rides to those who can’t drive at all. Although he himself lived on a small income, he gave generously to those who had less. He was strong for himself but he was strong for others too. Those of us who were close to him learned from his example, and we’re better off for it. The power of association, and the impact that those close to us have in our lives, is an important subject that bears further discussion. We’ll come back to it again tomorrow. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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