It's better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there's no one to help, tough!
Two in a bed warm each other.
Alone, you shiver all night.
By yourself your unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (The Message paraphrase)
This is especially tough Truth for men, who are filled with bravado. "I can do this by myself. I'm not weak!" But we all know that that's just pride talking. Ugly, egocentric pride. And pride is the foundation for almost all sin.
The truth is, all we're doing is hiding our weakness, putting up a face of strength. Pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps? This is simply not realistic. To even think this way is an insult to God.
God gave us everything that we have: our time, our talents (including strength, intelligence, perseverance, etc), and of course our treasure. He also gave us a community of fellow believers to be a part of.
We are not intended to be individual believers, going it alone. We were made to lean on one another ... to sharpen one another ... to rebuke, improve, and support one another.
We need our family on this journey toward Christlikeness. More importantly, our family needs us and our specific and unique talents. By going it alone, we are stealing from our brothers and sisters, and we are missing out on the beauty and abundance of what God has to offer through our family, the church.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps ...
Call to Action: Get involved with your local family of believers. And don't just "attend church". Become a functioning part of the body. You will be blessed.
