Sunday Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 4:9
9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
Devotion:
How do you mark the line between separating yourself from the world and still keeping companionship? After all, man is a social being. God created us to have companions and He encourages us to keep companionship with others but just who we do keep companionship with will define our lives. Being seen with the right people may well make a big difference in the social world and in the business world, but God is not one for checking up on who you are keeping up with! God wants us to be able to follow the love that He puts in our hearts so that we will fulfil a much deeper companionship than simply being seen in the right places and with the right people!
When we are reminded that two are better than one we are not just given a statement but given reasons as well. We can relate this back to the very beginning when God created Adam and then Eve as a companion. If He thought that we needed to be seen with the right people then He would have created a few celebrities as well; sounds so ridiculous when we put it in that context! God has given us the style of life that He wants us to live and we have corrupted it beyond anything recognisable from that creation and now seek to redefine those basic definitions that He gave us.
If we try to mix the style of life that God has designed for us and the corrupted style that we have ended up with we will very quickly find out that we tend to give in to the life that we have designed. And that is when we start to realise just how important it is to have the right people in your life – and I am not talking about the celebrities or the rich and famous but rather the children of God that He has allowed into our lives. I have learned that it is very easy to give in to life when living or working alone, but a whole lot harder to ‘fall off the rails’ when we have someone by our side.
That is where I praise my God because He has allowed some pretty remarkable people into my life over the last decade that have more than strengthened my walk with Him. If it were not for those people I would have continued to walk with the world and the people who think that it is OK to continue walking with the world instead of aiming for God. The more Christians I am able to be companions with, the stronger and more defined my walk is with God. It does not mean that all my friends are Christians, nor does it mean that all my Christian friends support me; I have to do my fair share of supporting others as well. God has given us as companions, which means it works both ways and not just supporters for us. Just remember, God alone is that Rock and that Solid Companion that we can always count on.
Points to Ponder:
What are your friends like?
Do you introduce them to God?
