February 24

Better Together
Bible in a Year :
Numbers 9–11
Mark 5:1–20
Two are better than one . . . . If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

Today's Scripture & Insight :

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
Søren Solkær spent years photographing starlings and their breathtaking spectacle: murmurations, where hundreds of thousands of starlings move in fluid motion across the sky. Watching this marvel is like sitting underneath an orchestrated, swirling wave or a massive, dark brushstroke flowing into a kaleidoscope of patterns. In Denmark, they call this starling experience Black Sun (also the title of Solkær’s stunning book of photographs). Most remarkable is how starlings instinctively follow their nearest companion, flying so close that if one were to miss a beat, they’d suffer mass calamity. However, starlings use murmurations to protect one another. When a hawk descends, these tiny creatures enter tight formation and move collectively, beating back a predator who’d easily pick them off if they were alone.

We’re better together than we are alone. “Two are better than one,” Ecclesiastes says. “If either . . . falls down, one can help the other up. [And] if two lie down together, they will keep warm” (4:9–11). Alone, we’re isolated and easy prey. We’re exposed without the comfort or protection of others.

But with companions, we give and receive help. “Though one may be overpowered,” Ecclesiastes says, “two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (v. 12). We’re better together as God leads us.

By: Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray
How are you more vulnerable when you’re isolated from others? How can you draw closer to them?

Dear God, please help me commit to being in community and extending Your love. Amen.

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April 19

Rent-a-Friend?
Bible in a Year:
2 Samuel 6–8
Luke 15:1–10
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”

Today's Scripture & Insight:

Ecclesiastes 4:7–12
For many around the world, life is getting lonelier. The number of Americans who have no friends has quadrupled since 1990. Certain European countries have up to 20 percent of their population feeling lonely, while in Japan, some elderly folks have resorted to crime so they can have the companionship of inmates in jail.

Entrepreneurs have come up with a “solution” to this loneliness epidemic—rent-a-friend. Hired by the hour, these people will meet you in a café to talk or accompany you to a party. One such “friend” was asked who her clientele was. “Lonely, 30- to 40-year-old professionals,” she said, “who work long hours and don’t have time to make many friends.”

Ecclesiastes 4 describes a person who is all alone, without “son nor brother.” There’s “no end” to this worker’s toil, yet his success isn’t fulfilling (v. 8). “For whom am I toiling . . . ?” he asks, waking up to his plight. Far better to invest in relationships, which will make his workload lighter and provide help in trouble (vv. 9–12). Because, ultimately, success without friendship is “meaningless” (v. 8).

Ecclesiastes tells us that a cord of three strands isn’t quickly broken (v. 12). But neither is it quickly woven. Since true friends can’t be rented, let’s invest the time needed to form them, with God as our third strand, weaving us tightly together.

By: Sheridan Voysey

Father, help me to be a good and loyal friend to others. Amen.

Red Strands of Hatred
MARCH 27, 2023

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient…. Being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.
Titus 3:3-5, NIV

Recommended Reading: Philippians 2:14-16
Christians are sometimes accused of hatred for their refusal to yield on biblical truth. We must never be what others accuse us of being. Though we must not compromise biblical truth, we can offer God’s Word as the only medicine for a sick world. If others refuse to believe, we can grieve over them, pray for them, share Christ with them, be kind to them, differ with them, ask God for patience with them, and when appropriate, avoid them.

But hatred?

The world can shout “hatred” all it wants, but we cannot let one red strand of a hateful attitude embroider its way into our personalities. Don’t let bitterness become rooted in your heart. It’s tempting to feel hatred for those who don’t agree with us, but there’s no room for that. “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44).

Leave the rest to Jesus.

The followers of Jesus are children of God, and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good to all, even to those who deserve the opposite.
F. F. Bruce