Working together

With all the extra responsibilities I have taken on this year, I can testify to the strength found in a team. There is no way I would be able to put my hand to all the tasks that come across my path, without the support of others. I have seen the Body of Christ working together in many beautiful and powerful ways. One can gather deeper insight into Paul's message when he speaks of every member pulling together to serve Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:26-27 - "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

The same story is found to be true in other arenas of life - sport is a good example of this: 

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - Babe Ruth 

Thought: Who is part of your team?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Living a meaning life

John Maxwell wrote - "To live a worthwhile, meaningful life, a person must be part of something greater than himself." 

Knowing a little about John Maxwell, I would guess that he is speaking about being part of a business that is making a difference in the world and which feeds into our desire to contribute towards something greater. 

However, he could also be referring to the Christian faith, as he is a former Pastor and Christian leader. John could be reminding us that living a meaningful life must include community. It is always tempting to 'go it alone', but this can leave us feeling empty and frustrated at time.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 - We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

Living in Grace

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Stronger together

Times are tough for everyone at the moment and this is when we need to stick together, especially with those we love and those in the body of Christ.

"Separate reeds are weak easily broken, but bound together are strong and hard to part." - Unknown

The writer of Ecclesiastes would give his approval of this sentiment as he once wrote:

"By yourself you’re unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped." - Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Message)

What do you feel about this?

Living in grace

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Alone we can do so little ...

It is amazing what can be accomplished when people work together as a team. This is nothing new for us today, but it is well worth repeating - There is power in a united team! I firmly believe that places of work, sports teams, churches, organisations and even families can accomplish so much more when we work as ONE. Of course this doesn't mean that we will always agree on certain things, but we need a common goal and purpose to all work towards. In this following scripture we see how David brought Israel together and their 'United front' enabled them to gain a great victory.

1 Chronicles 19:16-18 – ^“David gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. But they fled before Israel….”

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."-Helen Keller

"None of us is as smart as all of us." -Ken Blanchard

What team is God inviting you to be a part of today?

Living in Grace

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Divided we fall

There is an old saying that reminds us of this one important truth - "United we stand, but Divided, we fall!" This saying is used in sports teams, battles between nations, church leadership meetings and even in friendships. However, perhaps the place it plays out the strongest is in FAMILIES. If a family is united together, then they can withstand most onslaughts, but if they allow division to cause strife, then the family bond is in danger.

It was Jesus who used these words to his followers in Luke 11.


Luke 11:17-18 - He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

Are you allowing divisions to get among your team/family at the moment? 
What are you doing to sort it out?

Living in Grace
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It stopped me in my tracks!

It stopped me in the my tracks.... literally!

I was walking along a path this morning when I saw a familiar sight, but this time it had the power to stop and make me stare. It was a team of tiny ants carrying a massive insect to their nest. The insect was at least 100 times bigger than one of the individual ants, but TOGETHER they managed to carry the larger insect.

This all to familiar story reminds us of the power of working as team. We can try and do things by ourselves, but in the end, it doesn't work. We need each other and the support of friends, all pulling in the same direction.

What are you doing at the moment that needs a 'team of friends' to help? Are you going to ask for help, or are you just going to try and tug at the 'huge insect' by yourself? The one thing you will get with that option is a sore back and a depressed outlook.

Try the TEAM option. Jesus did - and it worked for Him.

Luke 9:1 - "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases..."

Mother Theresa -  “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Living in Grace
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The Lord goes before us

Deborah said to Barak, "Get ready! Today the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” - Judges 4:14

I was reminded of this verse this weekend, as we shared on Sunday about the brilliance of Deborah. She was the only female Judge to have presided over Israel and she left a huge impression on the people of her generation. She was a wise, God-fearing, adviser for the people and she knew how to lead her people into battle. 

Her words in Judges 4:14 should serve as a reminded for all of us that God goes before us into the battlefield. When we fight for Truth and Justice, God will lead the front line. God will also go before you to assist you on the battleground. So, don't be afraid of the future - God will go with you.

Living in Grace
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What we can learn from Dolphins

On Sunday I got to witness something that I will never forget as long as I live. We witnessed sardines being forced into a bait ball by a pod of dolphins and then watched as the dolphins came in to feed on the masses of fish. I have seen this on TV before, but never in real life. It was truly amazing.

The team work of the dolphins was incredible - it was so well orchestrated and it showed that they were really working together for the common good. It would have been a complete failure if each Dolphin had said to the others, "Hey, let's each fend for ourselves!" Sure, they would have eaten a few fish, but they would never have had as much success as they did as a TEAM.

We are easily tempted to do LIFE on our own. We think that we don't need help or anyone else to support us in our ventures, but we do. Christianity knew nothing of solitary faith for nearly 3 Centuries. It was only later that Christians moved out of community to find 'peace' with God in the desert. Yet, even when the Monks moved away from the temptations of the city, many of them joined together to work as a team - to be in community.

·         Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 - Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: 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.

As you go through your day, see how you can support someone else and if you need help, don't be afraid to ask someone.

Living in Grace
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Strength in a Team

"In union there is strength." ~Aesop

When we work alongside God (and according to His divine purposes) that's when we see results. In union with God the Church will change the world.

"When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset." - Exodus 17:12

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Cool photo from here

We can win together!

In our competitive world we often try to get ahead, without thought of anyone else. Sometimes we need to realise that we can benefit from the help of others (and they can be blessed by our help)! If we fight our battles in a team, we all end up victorious. This is what happened to the Israelites...

"So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword." - Exodus 17:10-13

Who could do with your help today?
Look for the win-win situation - it brings great blessing to you and others.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Cool photo from here