Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I heard it said once that you can go faster alone, but further together. In the immediate moment of hearing it, I thought, that's a little too simple to be profound. When I look at scripture, I actually see it playing out in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 6, our Verse of the Day:
God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
You're probably wondering, how does faster alone and further together fit with this scripture? The truth is, I found myself rushing ahead of God in my own way, and I had friends who would say the same thing. We feel like we have to grind and do the work on our own to accomplish anything that's meaningful for God. The truth is, He has given us so many different giftings to accomplish something that He's put out in front of us.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
As the church, it's so powerful to remember that the Holy Spirit in us gives us the ability to do things we couldn't do in our own strength. If you look at the immediate context of this scripture, you see that the Holy Spirit empowers believers to do things that go beyond themselves. Things that we couldn't accomplish in our own strength.
When I think about that, I think about the reputation that comes with that. If you're trying to do everything on your own by yourself, you'll do some pretty great things. You'll be known for what you can do. But what would happen if many people with many strengths came together as a team? You could do so much more.
Unity, Not Solidarity
I think about this in John chapter 17, Jesus actually prays a prayer over His disciples, and He says, I pray that they would be one as the Father and I are one. There's power in unity, not solidarity. There's isolation when you're alone, but when you're unified, there's power. There's authority, and it comes by the Holy Spirit working through your life.
Nehemiah's Example
I see this exemplified so well. I love Nehemiah. Old Testament scriptures are not out of date. They are so applicable and relevant to today. Nehemiah is responsible for rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. The people of Israel had gone through so much turmoil, and they had come under so much attack from the enemy. Nobody was stepping up to stand for the people.
Nehemiah felt a burden in his heart, so what did he do? He moved forward and he took a chance. He went to the people of Israel and made a plan to rebuild the wall around the city for protection sake. What happened later is incredible. The Bible says that by the Holy Spirit, the empowering of God, through them they were able to rebuild the entire wall around the city in 52 days.
That's insane. The number of days it took versus the number of years it had originally taken to build the walls was astounding. Not only was it astounding to the people, it shocked their enemies. The Bible says this, that the enemies surrounding the nations heard about it and were frightened. They knew that God was behind it.
Your Challenge Today
I want to encourage you and challenge you with this today. When you feel like you've got a vision in front of you that needs to be accomplished and you think no one else will understand, no one else will get it, maybe God has empowered you and the Holy Spirit to do what He set up in front of you to do, as well as others. Maybe today we ask the Holy Spirit: one, what have You empowered me to accomplish in the world around me? Two, what would it look like to lock arms with those around me, also filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit, to accomplish what He has set in front of all of us to accomplish?
