Greetings and praise the Lord for another day and another chance to grow in the gospel and be a blessing to others around you. I’m making a bold statement right now; everybody needs someone in their life to keep them accountable. Today’s message is a short testimony to this statement.
Today’s Prayer
Father, I come before you this morning to pray for all the innocent people who have been harmed by the violence around the world. I pray that You will intercede in these situations and that tensions will calm and that ceasefires can be reached. I pray for protection of the innocent and for our military personnel that are fighting for peace, liberty, and freedom. I pray for all the leaders involved, that they will heed Your voice and do Your will. Thank You for hearing my prayer today, Oh God. In the matchless name of Jesus, Amen.
Let’s eat.
Two by Two
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. – Ecclesiastes 4:9 –
Here I go again with one of my little revelations that I want to share. Have you discovered yet that you are incomplete by yourself? During my “warrior” stage of life you would have been hard-pressed to convince me that I needed you or anyone else. I was huge on self pride in those days until I discovered that pride is something that God was trying to break me of. I know very few people willing to admit their need for others, but many who live according to this principle. However, sooner or later we discover God’s truth regarding our need for others.
God created us to need others. We may not discover this until we fail – fail in a business, a marriage, or a close friend relationship. We are incomplete without the ongoing input from others into our lives. An independent spirit is one of the most detestable sins from God’s viewpoint. It is the highest form of pride. “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice” (Proverbs 13:10).
God has made each of us so that we have only so many gifts. He didn’t give any of us all the available gifts. Therefore, we learn to depend on others and to humbly trust others to complete us where we are deficient.
The bible gives us vivid demonstration of the partner act. David had Jonathan. Paul had Silas. I was reading a document sent to me by a brother in Christ on the relationship between noted people in the gospel and the assistance God provided for them. It was pointed out that Martin Luther had Philip Melanchthon. Melanchthon was 14 years younger than Luther. Martin Luther learned that he needed someone in his life to complete the work God called him to do. Luther had the greatest respect for this friend who helped him reform the Church of their day and the Church as we know it at present. Luther learned a great deal from Melanchthon, who was a great scholar at a young age. He could speak several languages, and he became Professor of Greek at the new University of Wittenberg at 21 years of age. This was ten months after Luther posted his famous theses on the church door in Wittenberg. Melanchthon helped shape the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century through his research, writings, moral purpose, and religious conscience. Luther and Melanchthon became inseparable, and when they died, they were buried next to each other.
The question is now clear. Who has GOD placed in your life to complete you? Maybe it is a mate. Perhaps it is a close friend. Perhaps it is a business partner. If you lack this in your life, I encourage you to seek someone out who can speak into your life. If you have someone like this, tell him or her how much you appreciate the role he or she plays in your life.
Thank you for letting me share my heart with you.
Quote of the Day
The right way to pray is to stretch out our hands and ask of One who we know has the heart of a Father. ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~