Sam喜欢与朋友一起玩电子游戏。他清楚记得，有一次在学期结束时，他和一班朋友同心协力完成一个特别高难度的等级，这是他们没法单靠自己能力做得到的，但当他们一起合作、各人尽自己的专长和技巧时，他们便可以取得胜利了。
这个记忆深深刻在Sam的脑海中。或许你也会想起在某一次，一群人共同完成一件仅凭一己之力无法做到的事情。
我想起记载在马可福音2章的故事，是关于一个瘫子的朋友怎样把他从房顶吊下到达耶稣面前。尽管这个故事的教训不单是关于同心协力，但试想一下，如果不是有几个朋友一起，而是只有一个人独自尝试把瘫子从房顶吊下，会不会成功呢？
传道书的作者明白同心协力的好处。他形容那个孤单劳碌的人，实在令人心碎，而最终他的劳碌也是虚空徒然的。与别人同工得到更多的回报、更大的帮助，归根究底这才是聪明的做法！
你是否正在单凭自己的努力去完成某一件事？你若与别人一起去作是否会有更高效率的呢？有谁能帮助你？或你可以与谁一起同工、以达到事半功倍的果效呢？
父啊，求你帮助我们协力同心作工，好叫我们的努力能荣耀和尊崇你。奉耶稣名祈求，阿们。
传道书 4:7-12
7我又转念，见日光之下有一件虚空的事。
8有人孤单无二，无子无兄，竟劳碌不息，眼目也不以钱财为足。他说：“我劳劳碌碌，刻苦自己，不享福乐，到底是为谁呢？”这也是虚空，是极重的劳苦。
9两个人总比一个人好，因为二人劳碌同得美好的果效。
10若是跌倒，这人可以扶起他的同伴；若是孤身跌倒，没有别人扶起他来，这人就有祸了！
11再者，二人同睡就都暖和，一人独睡怎能暖和呢？
12有人攻胜孤身一人，若有二人便能抵挡他，三股合成的绳子不容易折断。
"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:12
Sam loves to play video games with his friends. He vividly remembers a time at the end of the school year when a group of them teamed up to complete an especially difficult level. None of them had been able to do that on their own, but when they teamed up and all used their abilities and skills, they were able to win.
That lesson has stuck in Sam’s mind. Maybe you can think of a time when a group of people were able to accomplish something that would have been impossible for only one person to achieve.
I’m reminded of the story in Mark 2 about the friends of a paralyzed man who lowered him through a roof to set him in front of Jesus. While this story is about so much more than just teamwork, imagine if one person had tried to lower the man through the roof instead of a group of them. How well would that have worked out?
The writer of Ecclesiastes knew the benefits of working together. His description of a man working alone is heartbreaking; in the end, all of that man’s labor is meaningless. Working together with others gives greater reward, more assistance, and in the end is just plain smart!
Are you trying to do things on your own that would work out better if you were doing it with others? Who can help you, or whom can you team up with to get a better return on your efforts?
Father, help us to work together so that our efforts may glorify and honor you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
