Andrew Murray says that, "Our love to God is measured by our everydy fellowship with others and the love it displays." Jesus Himself told His disciples time and time again to "love one another." See, love is shown in many ways and one of these is through support.
When we support the brethren, we release strength to them and they are able to stand; and this does not weary us in any way because as we support, we are likewise supported. This pleases God.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12NIV
From the passage above, here are five reasons why we have to support each other.
1. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor
The more hands are working, the better and the quicker jobs are done. If you've seen movies where someone is missing in the woods, you'll notice that the search parties are always big groups of people. The reason is for more ground to be covered, and fast. A lone man can't do everything. Each person has his or her own limitations and God created us that way---limited---so that we will learn to reach out to others and have others reach out to us so that when we work together, there will be a good return. The more the merrier!
2. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up
Even superheroes have sidekicks. And why? Because as strong and as powerful as they are, they need help, too. Everyone needs help at some point, and not always physical help. Iron Man has Pepper Potts to help him emotionally and motivationally. And if Iron Man could save the world on his own, he would have no need to team up with the Avengers. Teamwork is more powerful than a solo job because there will always be someone who will stretch out his hand and pick up the one who has fallen.
3. If two lie down together, they will keep warm
Let's look at warmth in the internal sense. Cold belongs to corpses. Warmth is for people who are living and breathing. Two people can keep each other warm, and in Christinity, not just warm but on fire. There are times in our walks in life when we feel like giving up. Our dreams die down. Our hopes get extinguished somehow; and if we have no one, the dreams are likely to slip inside a black hole. Many times I found that when I start to get cold, my friends help me rekindle the fire inside of me. They help me to regain my momentum and not just that, but maintain it. They will keep warm.
4. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves
Let's go back to the concept of superheroes and sidekicks again. Why do you think they stick together? Two people are stronger than one. In the church, people have different levels of spiritual strength and the stronger ones fight for the weaker ones until the weak become strong themselves. I've had people do this for me and if they hadn't, I can't imagine what would have happened to me. In my early Christian walk, I would always let the devil overpower me not because I wanted to but because I didn't know spiritual warfare yet and I didn't know who I was in Christ, and because someone was always there to help me, I was able to remain standing till today. It's all by the grace of God.
5. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken
From points one thru four, it's always about two people. Now that we come to the last point, it's three. I'll put it this way: I'm the first strand, you're the second, and the third is Jesus. He's at the center. Partnership without Jesus has its strengths, but partnership with Jesus is unbreakable and immovable. He is the one who makes all things work together for good. He's the one who has the power to do exceedingly and abundantly over all that we could ever ask or think. Jesus is the center of it all and with Him, we cannot fail. For this threefold cord to be broken, Jesus has to be broken first and that is never going to happen. Relationships and partnerships are awesome. There is a strength to it. But the mightier strength lies in having Jesus in it.
