Topic: Why Do We Need Each Other? [RICK WARREN Devotional 1 May 2021]
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Why Do We Need Each Other?
“Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others.”
1 Peter 4:10 (GW)Your abilities are for the benefit of other people. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others” (GW).
You need me, and I need you. Nobody is good at everything. Nobody has every talent. There are no perfect people who can say to the world, “I don’t need anybody else.”
We need each other. We were made to work in teams! That’s why you need a small group and a church family. We’re better together.
Here’s the key to success: Build on your strengths so that your weaknesses become irrelevant. Every successful person does this. Just work on what you’re good at, and make it better.
Here’s a second rule of success: Team up with people who are good at what you’re not good at. Team up with people who complement you. Everybody has something to contribute. Nobody has it all together. We need each other!
This, by the way, is one of the purposes of marriage. In marriage we’re put together to complement each other’s strengths and to compensate for each other’s weaknesses. What happens when we don’t compensate for each other’s weaknesses? We criticize each other. That’s not what marriage is for. Marriage puts two sinners together, so there can be no perfect relationships. But in a marriage, you know the other’s weaknesses, so you can help compensate for them.
For example, take bill paying and budgeting. Who should do it? The one who does it better! The Bible doesn’t tell us who should do one role over another. Just figure out who does it better, and in doing that, you compensate for each other’s weaknesses. That’s why my wife, Kay, always drives instead of me. She’s a much more careful driver than I am.
This also applies to your work. If you want your business to be effective, here’s the key: Staff by SHAPE. Help people discover their SHAPE—their Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences—and put them in the positions they’re good at. When you do that, you won’t have to micromanage them or motivate them. Why? Because they’ll be doing what they love to do, and they’ll be good at it.
God wants every person to use their abilities to help other people. We need each other!
- How has someone who is shaped differently from you supported, encouraged, or helped you?
- Many people would rather go through life on their own, relying on their own strengths to accomplish their purpose. If that’s you, how can you actively work to include people in your life who can help compensate for your weaknesses and encourage your strengths?
- How does understanding the way people are shaped help you appreciate our differences?