Interdependency
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
A teacher of mine once told us about how he almost froze to death. He was camping with some young Boy Scouts in a mountainous area in Arizona. He found out the biblical truth concerning friendships and closeness. In his case, it was physical closeness. He and his fellow Boy Scouts slept that night in the mountains close together. This was the way they stayed warm. Well, this is the way they kept from freezing. I don’t know how warm they were.
Look at Ecclesiastes 4:11, “Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?” The surrounding verses also look at how important others are to us. We should never become “dependent” on another person. But we should be “interdependent” on one another. There is a big difference. We are made to need one another. It’s a circle. We are made to benefit from others. But we are also made to be beneficial to others. This is the idea of interdependency.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 brilliantly shows us the God given gift of interdependency. Is it time to re-evaluate your life? Are you a part of an interdependent body of Christ? Is your church family using its individual gifts to help one another? Do you have a small circle of friends that possess this interdependent spirit? I believe God desires us to live according to his biblical guidance. I believe God wants us to be interdependent people. And remember, God is the creator and sustainer of life which, like it or not, cannot be lived in isolation.
