Day 28

We need to be part of a community where gifts are shared, where experiences of God, burdens and outlooks will enrich one another as we grow together in mutual fellowship.

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”  —2 CORINTHIANS 11:30

Never believe in your own self-sufficiency!  We need each other. The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the wisdom of seeking advice and counsel. Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” Proverbs 19:20

“Listen to advice and accept instruction … in the end you will be wise.” Proverbs 20:18 “Make plans by seeking advice.” Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.”

Other people often see us more clearly than we see ourselves. We don’t have an objective view of ourselves. We don’t know our own strengths or weaknesses as well as other people do, so it is good to seek advice from people we can trust, and recognize to be wise.

Also, our lives were never intended to be lived in isolation. It’s good to involve other people in the major decisions of our lives. God said in the Garden of Eden, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) God had just created the world and declared everything to be ‘good’ or ‘very good’, but before the Fall took place, there was one thing ‘not good’ – for man to be alone.  The immediate consequence was the creation of Eve, but this is not just about marriage, it is about life itself. It is weakness, not strength to be self-sufficient. 

That is also why we cannot live the Christian life as a lone ranger. We need to be part of a community where gifts are shared, where experiences of God, burdens and outlooks will enrich one another as we grow together in mutual fellowship. Christ didn’t just come to save individuals, but to build a church whose members function in mutual inter-dependence with one other, and all in full dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ.