Thursday, February 16, 2017

Two Better Than One

Did you know that two well-trained horses harnessed together can pull more, than the combined effort of each horse added together?

I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun.  This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 NLT

Cooperating with others has advantages. God designed humanity, for companionship, not isolation, for intimacy, not loneliness. Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him. Genesis 2:18

Some people prefer isolation, thinking they cannot trust anyone. We are not here on earth to serve ourselves, however, but to serve God and others. Don’t isolate yourself and try to go it alone. Seek companions; be a member of the Body of Christ!

If you study the life of Jesus you will discover his team; the disciples were built on some key concepts.  1. To cooperate with more than one person takes time!  The passage we are going through for Sunday’s sermons John 15.  Jesus states in verse 27 that the disciples had been with Him since the beginning about three and half years, so they must testify of their knowledge of Jesus. 2. But the intellectual knowledge gained through time is not enough to build cooperation; you must share life together.  In John chapter one Jesus and Andrew, James, John, and Peter have their first encounter with Jesus.  In Verse 39 Jesus states to them “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”  They came and saw water turned into wine, the sea calmed and the dead raised.  3. A leader must model for his team on how we will accomplish any task.Jesus said; The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. Luke 6:40


Now!!!  Find one person and pour your time, life and modeling into another.  If God has blessed you with kids, it begins there.  If you have no kids find at least one other person in your circle of friends and family, and share Jesus with them by pouring your life into them!  If you are old and think you are no longer of use - you are wrong! If you do no pour into another the wisdom, God has granted you will be lost!  You and I were created for One thing to love, and you cannot do that in isolation.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Right Versus Wrong

Devotions February 1%

“It is a grace to know right from wrong. Change is all about measuring yourself against a standard, being dissatisfied with where you are because you see that you have fallen short of the standard, and seeking the grace to close the gap from where you are to where you need to be. James likened the “Word of God to a mirror (James 1:22–25) into which we can look and see ourselves as we actually are. It is impossible to overstate how important this is. Accurate diagnosis always precedes effective cure. You only know that the board is too short because you can place it against a measuring instrument. You only know that the temperature in your house is too hot because you have a measuring instrument in your house (called a thermostat). You only know that your tires have enough air because you can use a gauge that measures their exact air pressure. The Bible is God’s ultimate measuring instrument. It is meant to function in each of our lives as a spiritual tape measure. We can place ourselves and our marriages next to it and see if we measure up to God’s standard. God’s Word is one of his sweetest gifts of grace, and open eyes to see it clearly and an open heart to receive it willingly are sure signs of God’s grace.”


Excerpt From: Paul David Tripp. “What Did You Expect?.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/gtPSv.l