Wanna Hook Up?

My husband and I are remodeling our bathroom and when it came time to move the tub, we were stopped cold by the sheer weight of it; we couldn’t budge it an inch. Dennis, with his “rival-a-hardware-store” tool selection, came back with a monster pry bar which he used to barely lift the tub off the ground and we then slid furniture moving discs under it. After we’d placed several discs, we were able to move the tub fairly easily to do the work we needed to do. 

Since the beginning of time, people have invented tools to make their jobs easier. Cutting downs trees, for example. Can you imagine today, clearing several wooded acres with just an axe? Back in the day, farmers had to plow their fields by hand and with the help of their barn friends, it made the job a little easier. They would yoke oxen or horses together so that their power was multiplied because they would be moving at the same speed and in the same direction, pulling equal weight. If the farmer had used an ox and a horse together, he would not have gotten very far with his chores because their physical size and capabilities would have been far different. 

I recently saw a large mural painted on the side of building that showed a team of horses pulling a wagon. The writing on the wall said “When we pull together, no load is too heavy.” Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” As believers, we find that “many hands make light work.” When we team up with like-minded people, all in the game for the same common goal, we can accomplish more together than we can on our own. 

But not just any two…2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” God created us to connect and with others, to work with them, to strengthen them, and to love them. This verse in 2 Corinthians, though, warns against those we choose to partner with. Just like the ox and the horse, they have different strengths and weaknesses and yoking them together would cause more harm than good for the farmer. Trying to link up with an unbeliever to toil for the Lord may not produce the same results as teaming up with those who share the same vision and pull the same weight. 

We are called to love everyone, but we are not called to endorse everyone, or be best friends with them. We need to be selective with those we hook up with so that we are made stronger together and have good reward for our hard work, all for the glory of God.