A Daily Devotion for Monday, January 26
- ontrakk
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
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.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
I suppose the need to be independent comes from our sense of self-esteem. Somehow it feels “less than” to accept help, even when we really need it. That whole dynamic is so odd, because the person offering the help wants to help, and the other needs the help. But often the help is refused, to the benefit of no one. Both parties lose out. The desire and willingness to help another needs to be a vital and active part of my Christian life. Jesus modeled this helping spirit for us.
Holy Lord, although I am unable to heal or send out demons like Jesus, I am capable of helping others in all kinds of ways. May this be in my heart whenever I meet someone who could use help. Amen
Becky, transforming
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Dependence
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Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
I think aging brings this passage front and center. Recently, I have had a few tumbles. If someone had not been with me or near me, I don’t believe I could have gotten up on my own. There was a time when I could have just hopped right back up with the thought that I was invincible, however, no matter the season of life, when we fall, we need others. It doesn’t have to be a physical fall, it can be emotional, it can be spiritual. We do not have to do this life alone and shouldn’t. Relationships matter, community matters, shared efforts matter. When people stick together and with God as the “third string”, our crazy li…
Monday, January 26th, 2026
DEPENDENCE
(Focus: someone experience loss o f independence
Today’s reading Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Ecclesiastes 4:10
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 design us to be alone and isolated. He created us to be in fellowship and relationship! We can see the first example in Genesis after the creation of Adam. God said It is not good for man to be alone, Thus, Eve was born! If we isolate ourselves, we miss out on the blessings God planned for us through fellowship with others. It is such a blessing having friends and loved…
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Solomon presents a strong case on the value of cooperation and willingness to help others. It is impossible to navigate this harsh world totally alone. What has intrigued me since the first time I read this passage is the last line, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The whole passage is about two, but ends with a cord of three strands. I see the third strand as the Holy Spirit, God’s way of blessing any act of sharing, helping, cooperation and unity between two people. These actions are pleasing to God and the Holy Spirit strengthens and solidifies their bond, making the two stronger than the sum of their individual efforts. The very Godhead itsel…