The Others

If I mention the name Thomas Edison, the “light bulb” goes off in your head.

We credit him as “the inventor” of the incandescent light bulb.

We make it sound like the lone inventor, in a dark basement, working alone in silence until, all by himself, the bulb burned.

What if I mentioned two other names? Joseph Swan? Gottfried Leibniz?

Doesn’t ring a bell (or turn on the light), does it?

But don’t pass over those names. Swan worked on the same problem for many years and provided things that would not work. Leibniz did the math upon which Edison could rely for his work.

Without all of them, we’d still live in the dark.

Yet, when we come to our Christian lives, we treat it as a one-person sport. We do the work ourselves and will be judged on our own efforts.

Jesus never set up his kingdom that way. He chose twelve disciples, and when he sent them out, it was two by two. Paul had Barnabas, and later Silas. Elijah had his Elisha.

Solomon reminds us:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, NIV)

True spiritual strength comes in numbers. Someone brought you along, and you must give back.

The truth is, none go to heaven alone, so quit trying.