We are better in pairs

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go." Luke 10:1 ESV

After completing more than 43 miles at Saturday night's 12 hour Racing for Daylight Ultra, my dear friend Jim posted this about his friend who ran alongside him all night, "I am so glad that Debbie didn't want to run alone in the dark. She kept me running all night." To which I replied, "I loved watching you two spur one another on! I truly don't believe either of you would have made it that far without one another!" And you know, it's true. Because they stayed together and encouraged one another, they both ran distances farther than they ever had before or had even intended to do that night. How's that for the power of friendship?

And you know, as this story shows, having an encouraging friend come alongside us will always spur us on to do greater things than we would dare to do alone and inspire us to keep going when we are tired. And a fellow believer, you can be sure, will also persuade us to stay faithful in our pursuit to follow Jesus Christ. Which is the very reason the Lord sent out the seventy-two others "two by two" to prepare the towns and places He would later visit. Jesus knew that they would need one another to stay true to the calling He had given them. 

And things certainly haven't changed today. Every one of us needs a Christian friend who will hold us accountable in our Christian walk and motivate us to keep going until the race is done and we have crossed that final finish line. So if you have a friend like that, count your blessings. But if you don't, earnestly seek one out knowing you will be blessed by doing so. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us your Word that clearly gives us the example to follow when it comes to sharing the Gospel and pressing on to the end. Help us to remember that we are better together and were meant to share this journey with others. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Brother - Need to Breathe