Two Are Better

I work alone.  I'm a loner.  I can handle this on my own.  I don't need your help.  Or as my children have liked to say over the years, "I can do this By My Self."

Why do we want to do things the hard way?  I get that independence is a good thing, but why are we so stubborn sometimes that we refuse help from people who care about us? There are a lot of reasons, probably too many to go into here.  So, instead let me offer some reasons to accept help and work together.

Solomon said it this way a long time ago:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

The first line really says it all, "Two are better than one."  God made us to work together.  We can accomplish so much more if we will give and receive help than we can if we go it alone.  There is multiplied power in numbers as well as safety, support, encouragement, and protection. When we work together our complimentary strengths can help overcome the areas where each of us would be weak on our own.

It is also true that if you or I choose to try and do it on our own that we give up the safety, support, encouragement, strength and protection that comes from being a part of a team.  No matter what our strengths and talents may be, if we are on our own we limit ourselves.  All we are left with is what we can bring to the table. 

That is why God gave us family, friends, the church, and Himself.  We don't have to be alone.

The bottom line is that two are better than one.

*Photo courtesy of cooldesign and FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Worth Dying For

In the beginning we make all kinds of promises to get their attention. We say that we will climb the highest mountains, swim the deepest oceans, and overcome all other obstacles in order to win their love, but then what? Once all that energy is spent to reel in their big catch some men consider their work done, and choose to sit back and cruise. For those couples life settles into a dull routine. The honeymoon eventually ends and the real world begins with a relentless barrage of work schedules, dirty diapers, and bills that need to be paid. They begin to drift apart and their love grows cold, but it doesn't have to be this way.



God designed the marriage relationship to be so much more than that. Of all the things that God made He only said that one thing was not good; for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Adam’s wife was designed to complete and fulfill him, and he was to do the same for her. In the garden this would have come very naturally for them, but in our sin-soaked world it doesn't because our own selfish desires get in the way. This sabotages what should be the most encouraging and satisfying human relationship we have.



The problem is that the promises made while in pursuit are forgotten, yet men still expect their needs to be taken care of by their wives. A man’s failure to intentionally engage in his wife’s life will cause their marriage to become a passionless relationship where they more resemble roommates than lovers. Many become strangers sharing a house, or they just give up and go their separate ways.



The solution is to die. That’s right, you heard me. Here’s how Paul put it in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” He sets Jesus’ love for the church as our standard. His love is a love of sacrifice, one that went to the most extreme measure in order to secure the church as His bride. Unlike us, though, His love never changes or fades. No matter what we do His love will always remain consistent and complete. That should be the standard against which we measure our love for our wives.



In order to do this, men, we must be willing to die to ourselves. Here death is a picture of sacrifice. We are ready and willing to sacrifice when it comes to providing and protecting, but are we ready to sacrifice when it is time to listen and give of our time. The temptation is to sink into the recliner and relax at the end of the day with something to drink in one hand and a remote in the other, but our wives need and deserve our time. The love that Paul is talking about is one that will happily decide to engage and invest in their lives instead of feeding our own needs. It is willing to shut the T.V. off and listen and talk to our wives. We have such a short amount of time to share with them and invest in them. Don’t let it slip by. Take advantage of every opportunity to remind yourself that she is worth dying for. In the end you will gain far more than you will ever give up.

Let it go!

Philippians 3:13-14

There's a scene in Indiana Jones the Last Crusade where a character falls into a bottomless chasm that opens up right beneath her feet. Indiana grabs her arm to try and keep her from falling, but she slips and falls to her death because she's reaching for the Holy Grail which is stuck on a rock just outside of her grasp. As she falls Indiana almost follows her, but is caught by his father. He too reaches for the Grail, something he has searched for his entire life, and almost slips out of his father's hand, but his father saves him by convincing him to let it go.



In order for his life to be saved Indiana had to let go of what was behind and reach forward so that his father could pull him to safety. I believe that's what Paul is talking about here in Philippians. Paul says that he has not yet reached where he wants to be, but he is working on forgetting what is behind him and straining towards what is ahead so that he can reach his goal.



Sometimes in order for us to move forward we have to let go of what's behind us. We can learn from the past, we can grow from the past, but we can't live in the past and continue to move forward.



That means:

sometimes will have to forgive



sometimes will have to grieve



and sometimes will have to deal with unfinished business



But, ultimately we will have to let go so we can continue to move forward.



What’s holding you back? It’s time to let it go.