Proverbs 18:10 – “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”  NKJV

The apostle Paul echoed that truth in Romans 14 when he was talking about how we viewed various things in life and how we set aside time to worship.  He said in verse 7, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.”  Simply, we are not islands isolated and alone in life.  We may opt for that condition but it is not a wise thing for as Ecclesiastes 4:11-12 reveals we need each other and “…a threefold cord is not quickly or easily broken.”

We are members of the Body of Christ and individually we are not the body.  As the human body needs all the other members to function completely and efficiently so does the Body of Christ.  We are “living stones” fitted and framed into a spiritual house.  We draw strength, wisdom and hope from each other.  When one is down another can pick him up as Ecclesiastes 4:10 reveals.

I have had people tell me, “I don’t need anyone.”  I do and so do they!  Iron sharpens iron and if we come together and I deposit my light or understanding and you deposit yours we have more than either had separately or alone.  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 18 that if “…two or three gather in His name…”  HE IS THERE!  He also said that if two of us AGREE on anything it will be done for us.  There is tremendous power to be drawn from others who are of like precious faith.

I have experienced the reality of this passage in dealing with people over the years and found that some who want to isolate themselves do so because they do not want any push-back to their opinions or desires.  They want to do what they want, when they want and how they want and want no one’s input.  If for no other reason, fellowship would be enough to reject becoming a hermit or isolating oneself in life.  Remember that God said in Genesis 2, “It is not good that man should be alone…”

You may find yourself feeling alone and even rejected by others around you but know that you are NEVER alone for we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother, our LORD.  I know that in some of my darkest times having others as a support group was invaluable.  In times when I had to make critical decisions having the insight and input from others of the faith helped prevent my making some very bad decisions.

You are not an island in life and should never desire to be one.  All of us need time when we pull back or come aside and have some alone time with the LORD but that is not a permanent condition to be desired.  If I am facing battles in life I do not want to stand alone but want the warriors who will go into the trenches with me.  I want the other members of the Body to function providing that which I need and can draw from in the LORD.

            God bless you as you go through this day!