Over a decade ago, the massive video screen at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, was the talk of the world. The giant 1080p video board spans 160 feet wide and contains 30 million light bulbs. Yep, you read that right, 30 million light bulbs! For perspective, if you changed one light bulb every second without stopping, it would take an entire year to change the video board. Incredible.
The fascinating part about viewing the Texas-sized screen in person is that your eyes are completely oblivious to the 30 million individual lights. Instead, your eyes perceive the combination of what all those lights produce. You see one brilliant image.
That’s the power of unity. That’s the power of together!
As believers, we aren’t called to live life alone. Jesus invites us into community with Him and community with others. Christianity is not a list of dos and don’ts to live by. It’s a relationship with Jesus and a relationship with God’s people.
I need this reminder because some days it’s tempting to shut down all relationships and live life alone. But that’s not what God desires. God designed us and knows exactly what we need. We need each other. There’s power in together. Here are just a few examples:
• Brighter Together — “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). As a single light, you shine bright; but when you gather around other lights, you shine brighter! Think about a log that’s been removed from the fire. It immediately begins to lose its glow. Place that same log back in the fire, and it quickly regains its heat.
• Project Together — “You are the body of Christ, and individual members of it” (I Cor. 12:27). Together, as a unified body of Christ, we project the image of Jesus to a dark world. This is part of God’s design. He’s using you, alongside others, to display the hope, joy, love and goodness that compose the character and nature of Jesus. Alone, I cannot project the full image of Jesus. It takes all the members operating together to display to the world who Christ is.
• Lighter Together — “Carry one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). Life comes with many burdens. You can try to carry them on your own, or you can wisely recognize that God places people in your life to help carry your load. Likewise, God wants to use you to help shoulder the burden that others carry. This cannot be accomplished in isolation. It only happens within the bounds of relationships. If you haven’t experienced the life-changing power of Jesus through what He did on the cross, you can have a relationship with Him by surrendering to His will and putting your life in His hands.
