Did God intend for people to be isolated from each other?

on Sep 25, 2020

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Did God intend for people to be isolated from each other and does it please Him when we do not work? I think the world has been tricked into something that blindsided us. — I.W.

A: We need other people in our lives. We were not meant to be isolated from and independent of each other as human beings. Work is also a part of God’s plan for us. Work is not something we do just to put food on the table; it is one of the major ways God has given us to bring glory to Him. In God’s eyes work has dignity and importance, which means we should do our work with pride and diligence and integrity.

But our work was never meant to become the center of our lives. That place belongs only to God, and when we allow our work to dominate and control us, then it has become an idol to us.

The Bible says, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

When our work causes us to ignore the needs of those around us, we should stop and take inventory. There are many in our neighborhoods and churches that live in isolation. Everyone will encounter someone who is lonely but may be too busy to recognize it. God wants to use each person to help another. Ask God to help you identify those people and reach out to them with the love of God. Many times all that is needed is to be heard.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)