Believe it or not, it’s nice to take the preacher-hat off from time to time. This past Tuesday I got to just be a “dad” and go on a field trip with one of my daughters. We went to Dahlonega to tour the gold mines and get a history lesson on the process of 19th century mining. We learned a lot and had wonderful time going down, down into the ground to see things you rarely see or hear about it.
When it was over the classes and chaperones got to sift buckets of sand in order to look for stones that could potentially be turned into gemstones. In order to do that you need a rock tumbler. Certain types of sand and rocks are tumbled together with the precious stones in order to reveal beautiful gems. Without that process, the gems just look like colored, rough-edged rocks that you might find lying on top of the ground, waiting to be kicked by the next kid who comes across it. But with the tumbling process, the rocks become gems—beautiful stones that can be placed in settings and admired for their brilliance and desired value.
Rocks from gem mining.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” —Proverbs 27.17 (ESV)
The Church is a tumbler, bringing together people that will smooth and soften the edges of one another. As we pray together, study together, sing together, and serve together, God uses the stories and testimonies of each person to sharpen the next person. We learn from each others experiences, situations, and circumstances. We speak into each others lives and offer support that brings out the best in us. We do this to the glory of God and the benefit of the Church.
Like iron that is used to sharpen the edge of another piece of iron, so we as the body of Christ sharpen each other to become holy. My encouragement today is simply this: “tumble” with others in the Church so that you can experience the brilliance that God desires to bring out in you. God wants to polish you and set you for the world to see. And He does this so that you can testify to His work in your life, so that you can point others toward Him.
May we all be submit to the influence of saints in our lives so that God may draw out the beauty of a life He has redeemed.
—Pastor Whit
Read more inspirational messages regarding faith by checking out past Whitt’s End articles.