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An Inconvenient Friend

Today, I was chitchatting with my best friend. It was another one of those easy, casual conversations that we always have. But it shared another characteristic of our regular conversations: there was a bit of spiritual conviction.

It came out of no where. There we were talking and I mentioned something to her that I had been doing and suddenly, she exclaimed, "An inconvenient Christianity?! More like an an inconvenient friend!" We both burst out laughing at that.

The fact of the matter is we have inadvertently convicted each other time and time again over the 10 years of so that we've known each other. It happens so casually, that it's almost scary to think that the Holy Spirit is moving and speaking to us even through the simplest of conversations.

The Bible tells us that iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27:17). Perhaps because it is such a common sense statement, I never really took the time to think about what it means. Have you ever tried to sharpen a knife? Can you sharpen a knife with a kitchen towel or a piece of wood? Unless I've missed some new innovation, the answer to that question is no. It takes a material that is equally as hard or harder to sharpen a knife. And sometimes knives get sharpened by inadvertent contact with the sharpening material.

Likewise, when Christian friends are with each other their conversation should be edifying and spiritually challenging to all participants. And the great thing about the Holy Spirit is that we don't necessarily have to be having a great theological discussion to be edified and challenged.

The only way to accomplish that is is to make certain that we have an uncompromising relationship with Christ. If you have that at the core of who you are, it can't help but bleed into every other aspect of your life. Even simple, mundane conversations. You also need a listening ear to be able to hear the Spirit as He whispers through the voice of a friend.

So this begs the question: who are your friends? Do you have friends that affirm your Christianity? Are you edified and challenged by conversations with your friends? Do your friends make you want to be a better Christian?

If you can't answer those questions in the affirmative, then perhaps you should examine the company you keep.

I thank God for friends like my bestie who challenge and edify me not just on a social or intellectual level, but on a spiritual level, as well. Conviction (especially in a seemingly innocuous conversation) is not a pleasant feeling, but a little inconvenience now will yield an eternity of pleasures in the presence of the Lord.
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  1. AnonymousJuly 17, 2012 at 9:28 PM

    So true.. This reminds me of a sermon I heard on TBN once and the preacher said "In order to reach the mountain top, you sometimes have to leave some people in the valley" and it really made me think deep of people that I needed to love from a distance. Its not being selfish its recognizing that my salvation is worth a greater price.

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  2. Josie JamesJuly 17, 2012 at 9:48 PM

    Amen!

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