As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. ~Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)
Old Pentecostal preachers used to say, “you can’t soar with the eagles and run with the turkeys”. They understood that who you hang around has a direct influence on what you are able to accomplish. They also understood that there is such a thing as a divine encounter. It’s an encounter that produces good things in a person’s life. Can you recall any divine encounters over your life? Maybe a teacher that brought to life what you were studying at the time or an employer or coworker that helped you grow and excel in your skills and abilities. How about when you met your spouse? Or the first time you held a newborn baby? That is a divine encounter for sure! God strategically places people in each other’s lives. He says iron sharpens iron. That means when good people get together good things happen. Smart people build people up. They bring out the best in them. That is what healthy relationships are all about. We aren’t supposed to make each other dull by our negative attitudes and pessimistic outlook. We are supposed to sharpen each other by encouraging and loving unconditionally. Just like God loves us.
Moses prayed in Psalm 90:17 “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands”. (NIV) As we go through our lives here on this earth we are going to need some favor, actually not just some favor. We are going to need boat loads of favor. Don’t underestimate God. He can bring favor in more ways than you can count, and divine encounters are one way He does that. Start paying attention to the people God puts in your path. There is a reason they are there. Be looking for how you can add to their lives. Jesus said we should do to others what we would have them do to us. Keep in mind that does not mean those we help will be the ones that the Lord uses to help us. We all have big jobs to do in this life and anyone who has ever served on a great team can attest that when everyone gets their minds off themselves, a lot more gets done. God also wants us to go be a divine encounter to someone today. He wants us to stick so close to Him we can be led by His Spirit and meet needs He has ordained for us to meet. He says He blesses us to be a blessing. God told Moses to order Joshua to do a very big job and then He said to encourage and strengthen him in it. That is what we need to be doing with the people around us. We need to encourage and strengthen them for the tasks at hand. Then we need to expect to see great things come from them.
But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see. ~Deuteronomy 3:28 (NIV)
Who will you encourage and strengthen today?
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