Don't go it alone! We were made for community!

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.

Trusting God (and only God) to Provide

Can you trust God to provide for your needs, or is your impulse to try to provide for yourself?

In Proverbs 30:9, we read "Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs Him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God."

I find myself in the former position many times. The abundance that I have distracts me from my desperate need for God. I don't think I feel the full weight of redemption and provision, because I always have enough food, my kids are healthy, I have work, I have love from my family, I have freedom by living where I live and in the time that I live.

This comfort puts me in the category of being too full, too independent. I find myself subconsciously saying, 'God? Who needs Him?' I would never say this out loud, or even consciously think it. But many times my actions speak louder than words.

While it scares me a bit to pray this prayer, I will pray it today:

Lord, give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. I know that if I have too much, I'll feel independent, thinking that I don't need you. And I know if I'm poor, I may do things that are not pleasing to you, that dishonor you. God, right now I acknowledge that I'm scared of being without. But that is just a reflection of my failed faith in you. I am weak, but you are strong. Give me your strength God to simply depend on you and nothing else. I asked this in the precious and holy name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.