Two

Ecc 4:9.10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"

 

It is interesting. I told someone the other day that I began a study in Ecclesiastes at the beginning of the year and he said: "So you want to be depressed?". Sure, Solomon talks about how all that we do in this world seems to be in vain, but there is a treasure trove of rich truth and practical advice in this book.

 

Take these verses. So practical. So real. So good. Two are better than one. Why? They get more done. They support one another. They help one another. They strengthen each other. They build each other up. They lift up one another. To be frank: We need each other.

 

Living life alone is hard. So many people try to do it. They say: "Oh, I don't need any help. I don't need your advice. I can do this myself. I can live life on my own terms. No one is going to tell me what to do." Dumb, dumb, dumb. When I work alone I have to do more work. When I work alone the results are not as effective. When I work alone I am relying on my own abilities and not getting the help and knowledge and skill that another may have that I need. When I live alone and when I fall (and I will) I have to handle it myself. I don't receive encouragement. I don't receive support. I don't receive understanding. I don't receive correction. I don't have any accountability.

 

I am thankful that I have many who surround me. I am not alone. I showed my wife this verse this morning and I said to her: "We are the two." I need her. She does exactly what this verse says. She works with me. We get more done together than when we work alone. Just try picking up the leaves in the fall by yourself. It is a pain. It takes longer. It isn't as fun. Now I know sometimes we can get on each other, but the reality is that she makes me better. She makes me sharper. She keeps me thinking. And she is always there to pick me up. My girls are like this too. I know that they are there for me if I need them. And I am there for them too.

 

I am also thankful for the guys who I minister with who I call "friend". I know that these guys have my back. If I screw up, they will tell me. If I do well, they encourage me. If I fall, they are there to lift me. We get more done together than if we try to be an island. This is why it is so important that we listen to one another and consider one another's opinion and teach each other. What others have to give is so rich. God does not want us to live our faith alone. He wants us to do it together. He wants us to live life together.

 

So Hon…thank you. Girls…thank you. Guys…thank you. I am grateful that I can do life together with you. I am richly blessed.