Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18, NASB)
Is the Christian life an individual sport or a team sport? Like the game of golf, life can be played alone. Read our Bibles, books, and pray in solitude. Often that is exactly what we need. Just like golf, get out by yourself and work out those swing thoughts you have been thinking about.
However, Scripture is also clear that we are not made to go it alone. God gave us all of the animals in the world, and Adam named every one. But the animals were not suitable helpers for Adam, so God gave him Eve. The Bible is filled with relationships: Abraham and Sarah, Jonathan and David, Ruth and Naomi, Mary and Joseph, Paul and Timothy, and Paul and Barnabas. Jesus picked a team of twelve disciples to minister with. It would be difficult to carry out the Great Commission by ourselves: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
It would be hard to create an Acts 2 scenario without being surrounded by others: “All those who had believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44). The passage goes on to describe how they shared their possessions and their time, gathering regularly to study and learn, to eat and to fellowship. More believers were being added to their ranks daily.
If you are not consistently sharing your life and time with other men or women, give some serious thought to the many opportunities that exist in your world.If you are a part of a Links Fellowship or another small group, then you know the benefit of relationships. Stories, ideas, special needs, and prayer requests are shared, and our lives become less private. A highlight of attending church is seeing friends and worshipping together. Our annual men’s retreat at my local church is a chance to spend the weekend with 300 men while enjoying great teaching, fellowship, and food.
Golfers know all about this. Our regular games are almost always played as two-man best-balls, a format we also enjoy in club competitions. Four-player scrambles add to the team concept all the more. Road trips to area clubs, and even bigger trips to one of the many resorts in the US, UK, and Ireland would not be the same going alone.
You may be plugged in many ways and I hope you are. If you are not consistently sharing your life and time with other men or women, give some serious thought to the many opportunities that exist in your world. They are waiting for you to join in.
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Bill Euler
June 23, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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