By
Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church
Do we need other people?
What kind of friends have you
had? What kind of friend have you
been?
Scripture
Text: Eccl 4:7
Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all
alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his
eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he
asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is
meaningless-- a miserable business! 9 Two are better than one, because they
have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help
him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him 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.
A
man or woman alone-
One is a lonely number. This
is meaningless. There is no one
to share with. There is no one to
live with and there is no one to live for. There is no end to meaningless
work. There is no contentment.
There is no enjoyment in life. Even
his work is meaningless. Why work
when there is nothing and no one to share life with.
We tend to be lone rangers,
but didn’t the lone ranger have a friend by the name of Tonto.
We are rugged individualists who don’t need anyone.
We are prideful people. If
we say that we need someone then that may indicate a weakness or a problem
that we are incapable of working out on our own.
Many mountaineers have dug out their way in the hills of this state,
but even they needed some help. But
when the “help” came it seemed that the cure was worse than the disease.
So, many have chosen to not ask for help and just take life as it
comes. Don’t wait until it is
too late. Everyone needs someone.
One man came home from work
and his wife divorced him. He
said there is no reason to work. Why?
There is no reason to go on.
One woman decided to divorce
her husband because all they did was argue, so when she divorced him then she
said it is lonely. There is no
one to argue with.
Why did Adam say I need
someone to be with in the garden?
Everyone needs someone. It
may not be a spouse, but it can be a friend.
Work is also meaningless
unless there is someone to share life with.
Two
are better than one.
They together have a better return on their work.
The sum of the labor of individual is always less than the combined
efforts of the team.
When problems come
there will be someone to help. What
happens when you fall and have no one to pick you up?
You will be lost. Everyone
needs someone one sometime.
One lady laid for hours until
her friend came to check on her. She
got help from a friend and prevented possible catastrophe.
When it is cold, two can
keep warm, but one may freeze.
There is a cold coming that will require the assistance of another.
This is a cold that everyone is going to face. Without the warmth of the love of God and the presence of
another there will be no way to overcome this death freezing temperature.
There are circumstances in life that requirement some assistance.
When enemies attack, two
can defend themselves, but one will be
easily overcome.
This assumes that enemies
will attack. There is no doubt
that the enemies are out there and they are just waiting for the right moment
to attack. The enemies of death,
hell, and the grave are the enemies of all.
Jesus has already overcome all three for you.
Will you accept his help and friendship?
If two are strong, what
about Three of a Kind? A
cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Jesus could be the third strand in your friendship.
When three join together that is even better.
We must admit that we need
help.
We must admit that we want
help and welcome help.
We must be willing to accept
help and friendship from others.
We must be willing to forgive
and accept the shortcomings and faults that we all have.
If anyone will get together with another then we must be willing to
love one another unconditionally. Conditional
love will lead to inevitable separation.
We must be friendly and
accept the help from others.
We must be willing to be a
friend and go out of our way to go to someone to be there friend.
Jesus was the greatest
friend. He took 12 men and made 12 friends who went all the way with
him.
Proverbs
18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother.
Is Jesus your friend? Are you a friend? Do
you have a friend? Are you a
friend?
Would you be a friend to
someone who needs a friend, and introduce them to the greatest friend who is
called Jesus?