The WORD unleashed

  Have you ever asked yourself the question; what kind of effect does my presence have on the people around me? Is it a positive effect that causes people to want to be better people, or is it a negative effect that gives people the excuse to act worse.
  Some people I've been around has a unique way of getting the worse out of me; or to put it plainly, or caused me to act worse than I normally would. But occasionally I run across this person who is living an exemplaryworthy of imitation lifestyle and they make me a better man. That is the one we should all want to be. We should strive to make our friends and acquaintances better when they are in our presence by our superior behavior and manner of lifestyle. We should sharpen our friends, instead of make them dull.

The great Soloman used the analogy of a sword or a knife to illustrate the kind of effect we should have on our friends and acquaintances. In Proverbs 27:16Pro 27:16 - As iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.   KJV, he said that as iron sharpens iron, so we should sharpen one another, and especially our friends. Our lives should be like a pattern that would be worthy for others to use in shaping their own lives. The highest compliment that one could be paid is that others would want to use their life as a pattern for their own !

The greatest testimony that we can have is - how we live, act, and treat others as we travel through this world. Our lifestyle tells everybody all things they need to know about us; and especially if we are a person that is worthy to pattern their lives by. Too many people have the "do what I say", "not what I do" mentality; and that's why so many have no testimony at all. Jesus said in Acts 1:8Acts 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  KJV that we should be a witness for him, we should sharpen the world around us, and the only way to truly accomplish this, is to live a lifestyle that is worthy as a pattern for other people. As iron sharpens iron, so the Christian should sharpen everyone around them; we should make everyone around us a better person just because of being in our presence. If we will do this, we will feel better about ourself, we'll make everyone else better, and more importantly; we will fulfill the great commission.