Source of Wisdom
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27.17
Recently, our church began a ministry – almost by accident. For nearly thirty years, our church had hosted a ladies’ retreat. The retreat, hosted at various places over the years, had ministered to a large number of ladies. The men of our church worked to serve the ladies so that the organizers could enjoy the time of fellowship along with the attendees. As a result of this ministry outreach, some became believers, all were encouraged, and our men enjoyed trying to make the ladies happy. I believe that our men benefited at least as much as those we served.
Due to several issues beyond our control, it became obvious that our Lord was shutting the doors on that type of ministry for our church. My wife and her friend, each with a tremendous servant’s heart, felt an empty spot – they could never be satisfied just sitting on the sidelines and watching as the world passed them by.
Meeting for a meal one day they became concerned for a couple of ladies that they knew who were struggling spiritually. They prayed and decided to open up their time of fellowship to any who were interested. Thinking that they might have half dozen ladies they began making plans. The first night, they were overwhelmed by the response – seventeen ladies attended; and, at their next meeting they are expecting nearly fifty ladies to attend. The ministry is called “Blessed Is She” and is based on the life of Elisabeth – Mary’s cousin. (www.blessedisshesc.com)
Without any nudging from my wife, but a bit of a push by God’s Spirit, I felt moved to begin a similar ministry for men. Having consulted with my wife about what made their group so quickly successful; I determined that what excites and encourages ladies will probably not work with men. Last evening, following our Wednesday evening Bible study, I met with a couple of our men to discuss a path to reach hurting men and to pray for God’s guidance. We are tentatively calling our group, “Iron Sharpening Iron.”
Men tend to shut down and withdraw when we are faced with struggles. We find it difficult to seek out wise counsel and explore biblical solutions that can offer peace while living in a dizzying world.
The goal of this group will be to help form supporting relationships between men which emulate the relationship Daniel had with his three companions. Living in the frighteningly evil land of Babylon, facing an inconceivable dilemma and being grossly outnumbered by those who opposed them, Daniel prayed. (Daniel 2) Furthermore, his first response to the problem was to call his three friends together for prayer. After the prayer meeting, Daniel settled down for the night and slept. Knowing that God was in control, he had peace.
If you are in the area, we would love to have you join us for some spiritual encouragement. (Since you are receiving this, you know how to contact me for information.) If you are unable to attend, please pray for God’s wisdom as we move forward.
“I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.” Daniel 2.23 .
Due to several issues beyond our control, it became obvious that our Lord was shutting the doors on that type of ministry for our church. My wife and her friend, each with a tremendous servant’s heart, felt an empty spot – they could never be satisfied just sitting on the sidelines and watching as the world passed them by.
Meeting for a meal one day they became concerned for a couple of ladies that they knew who were struggling spiritually. They prayed and decided to open up their time of fellowship to any who were interested. Thinking that they might have half dozen ladies they began making plans. The first night, they were overwhelmed by the response – seventeen ladies attended; and, at their next meeting they are expecting nearly fifty ladies to attend. The ministry is called “Blessed Is She” and is based on the life of Elisabeth – Mary’s cousin. (www.blessedisshesc.com)
Without any nudging from my wife, but a bit of a push by God’s Spirit, I felt moved to begin a similar ministry for men. Having consulted with my wife about what made their group so quickly successful; I determined that what excites and encourages ladies will probably not work with men. Last evening, following our Wednesday evening Bible study, I met with a couple of our men to discuss a path to reach hurting men and to pray for God’s guidance. We are tentatively calling our group, “Iron Sharpening Iron.”
Men tend to shut down and withdraw when we are faced with struggles. We find it difficult to seek out wise counsel and explore biblical solutions that can offer peace while living in a dizzying world.
The goal of this group will be to help form supporting relationships between men which emulate the relationship Daniel had with his three companions. Living in the frighteningly evil land of Babylon, facing an inconceivable dilemma and being grossly outnumbered by those who opposed them, Daniel prayed. (Daniel 2) Furthermore, his first response to the problem was to call his three friends together for prayer. After the prayer meeting, Daniel settled down for the night and slept. Knowing that God was in control, he had peace.
If you are in the area, we would love to have you join us for some spiritual encouragement. (Since you are receiving this, you know how to contact me for information.) If you are unable to attend, please pray for God’s wisdom as we move forward.
“I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.” Daniel 2.23 .
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