Let's work together! The Lizarardo Detective Agency needs your help to solve the mystery of the missing comic book.
Before You ListenTheme: Cooperation
1. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn..” Why does God want us to work together with each other instead of being alone?
2. In Nehemiah 3, Nehemiah was a Jew living in Babylon. He asked for permission to go back to Israel to rebuild the city of Jerusalem that had been destroyed. The king said yes and Nehemiah went back with some others. They decided to start rebuilding the walls first because they provided safety from their enemies. It seemed like an impossible job! But, Nehemiah encouraged the people by telling them that God was on their side. Nehemiah told each family what part of the wall they should fix. Nehemiah worked hard with all the others and because they worked together, they were able to rebuild the wall and keep their city safe. As you listen to this episode, think about how the Israelites were able to rebuild by working together.
“You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn.”
In this episode, some of the gang work together to buy something of value. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn..” In life, two people are better than one: writers need other writers to help come up with the best work, students need other students to work together on projects, and teammates need each other to play a game. Working with a variety of people will usually make a project better than it could have been with the ideas of only one person.
The same is true for following Jesus. You can’t be a Christian alone. You need other Christians to learn, to encourage you, to help you and to love you. Everyone wants to be alone sometimes, but God has designed us to want to be in community. While you may prefer to be alone, that is not how God designed you. He wants you to live in a community of Christians—the Church. Think of those Christians who love and encourage you on your faith journey. Be sure to thank God for them today!
Want to dig deeper about being in a community? Read Psalm 133:1, Acts 2:42-47 and Hebrews 10:23-25.
How can you cooperate with a friend or sibling to accomplish a project this week? Maybe you can work out a plan for putting away your toys, or helping with after dinner clean up. Or, maybe you can make a gift for your parents, your teacher or another leader in your lives—something that you think up and make together. Talk about it, write down a plan and practice cooperation this week.