
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one of them can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
These verses make me think of “love in action.” True friendship is active and helpful. It bears fruit for both of the friends. Friendship is loving our neighbor in a personal and intentional way. If we neglect a friendship, it is likely to fade somewhat. I have lost friendships through neglect. There may not be hard feelings, but the closeness is definitely gone. If we are not good to our friends, we will not have any. “But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Holy Lord, these verses have brought me around to thinking maybe I could be that friend to someone who has no one. This is Christian love in action. Help me to see opportunities to make friends, Lord, and to hold them close. Amen
Becky, transforming
Friday May 17th 2024
Ecclesiastes 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!
God did not create us to be alone — to be a single person trying to make it through life alone in a harsh world. As I become more familiar with the Scriptures, I am learning that many of God's servants had trouble when trying to serve Him when alone. Jesus intentionally sent out his disciples and apostles in pairs to do His work. Jesus emphasized the importance of two or three believers gathered…
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
As I read these verses, teamwork came to mind but I wrote about that yesterday. Then I thought of the lovely people I meet at the nursing home. For some of them, this became a place of companionship after a period of isolation. We are not meant to live alone. So many elderly find themselves isolated by many things for many reasons—illness, death of their spouse, driving, no close friends. This is not good for our mind, body, or spirit. I have heard so many families say how their loved one “blossomed” at some facility. No longer isolated, they’ve found new friends and helpers.
Prayer: Gracious God, remind me not to love quiet and aloneness for very long…
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Solomon presents to us yet another example of how humankind was created for living in community and not as islands living solitary lives away from others. I can never imagine hermits and recluses as joyful people, especially as they approach the end of their unconnected existence on this earth. Interactions with others may not always be pleasant, but it is the stuff of the life God would have us live. We should make the most of it.
Prayer - Father, Son, Spirit, as the first and eternal example of community, guide us to find ways to share our lives with others in such a way that we can help them up when they fall down. Let us live…