Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

THEME OF THE DAY: AVOIDING A COLD HEART. It may seem a bit strange to find sound instruction on living the New Testament definition of the Christian life in the middle of an Old Testament book. And it is even more of an oddity when that book is Ecclesiastes whose dominant theme is “Vanity of vanity. All is vanity.” Yet, that is exactly what we find from the pen of King Solomon. Today’s scripture is wonderful and practical instruction on living out the Christian life as God intends for us. Let’s consider three pieces of sound spiritual advice which will help us in our walks with the Lord.

First, our Christianity is never meant to be lived in isolation from other Christians – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” We are not an only child in the family of God. The Christ life is not a private experience left to an individual spiritual journey. Try to go alone in living for Christ and spiritual disaster looms. One disaster will be the deception of leaning on our understanding in life and especially the spiritual life (Jeremiah 17:9). Solomon writes in his Proverbs, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (Proverbs 18:1-2). This is serious stuff. We may take his instruction and make an application like this, “Purposefully stay away from spiritual fellowship with other believers; isolate yourself to fulfill your own selfish desires, and you will be spiritually deceived, leaning on your own understanding.” In my pastoral ministry, it is almost without fail that Christians who are on the fringe of church life, basically Sunday morning only people not involved with other Christians during the week, justify lack of deeper commitment. When I seek to encourage them to more spiritual involvement, they get defensive, and rattle off reasons for lack of sacrificial investment in church life with other believers. That my friend, is leaning on your own understanding and reveals an ignorance in what the Bible says about living the Christian life in the context of a local church.

Another help from Solomon in living the Christian life is the nature of spiritual warfare with the devil, the world, and flesh establishes our desperate need for one another – “For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.” Friends, we are going to sin. We are going to fall flat on our spiritual faces in our walks with the Lord. To help minimize and even see such sinning decrease, we need mutual accountability with other believers and encouragement when we fall. If we go alone in this Christian life, temptation will eventually win out. We need a spiritual friend who will ask the hard questions, “How is your walk with the Lord? What are you viewing on television and the internet? How is your time in Word and prayer?” This keeps us focused on what matters most in life. Think for one moment that we don’t need each other and we just opened the door to spiritual defeat.

A final good piece of advice from Solomon is stay close to those Christians who are healthy and close to the Lord – “Again if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?” Each of us, every day, feel the pull of the world upon our hearts seeking to draw us away from white-hot love for Jesus. If the devil, the flesh, and the world can cool our hearts, our testimony and Christianity lacks power and is only words. What is one way to maintain first love for Jesus and avoid a cold heart? Stay close to Christians on fire for the Lord. It rubs off. I know from personal experience when I sense a spiritual drifting away from first love, I need to run to those Christians who are not. I need to pray with them, worship with them, serve with them, and study the Word with them. And so do you . . . live a privatized Christian life and a cold, worldly heart is inevitable. May an unlikely place, the book of Ecclesiastes, inform our minds and enflame our hearts to live out New Testament Christianity.

PRAYER: “Father, please show me Your desire and my need to be intimately involved in the lives of other Christians.”

QUOTE: “Go alone in the Christian life and you are on your way to becoming lukewarm and worldly.”