Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

“I wonder why geese always fly in a V formation,” Zion said as he and his dad raked their lawn. Overhead, a flock of geese honked their way southward in the cloudless fall sky.

“Do you see how closely they fly together?” asked Dad. “As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird following it. That means the bird behind it uses less energy as it flies. By flying in a V formation, the flock can fly about seventy percent farther than if each bird flew alone. The leader—the first one—has to work the hardest, so they take turns being in front.”

“Hey, that’s cool!” said Zion. “Smart birds!”

They finished raking, and Zion grabbed some large plastic bags from the garage. “Is it okay if I skip church tomorrow?” he asked as they stuffed the leaves into the bags. “Caden got a new game for his birthday and invited me over to play it in the morning.”

“You can play Caden’s game another time,” said Dad. “That’s not a good reason to skip church.”

“But I’ll do my devotions before I go,” said Zion. “Why can’t I just spend time with Jesus on my own instead of going to church?”

“Zion, praying and reading the Bible on your own is very important, and I’m glad you do that,” said Dad. “But it’s not the same as going to church.”

“Why not?” asked Zion. “That’s basically what we do at church, just with more people.”

“Exactly,” said Dad. “Remember those geese we saw in the V formation? They would never be able to make the long journey south on their own—they need each other. And we need other Christians on our journey with Jesus. They support and encourage us and help us see a bigger picture of how He’s changing people’s hearts and lives. Jesus wants us to spend time with Him on our own, but He also wants us to spend time with Him as a body of believers because He loves all of us and knows how much we need each other.”

Zion looked up at the sound of honking. More geese were on their way south. “Okay, Dad,” he said. “I’ll play Caden’s game another time.”

–Rosemary C. Wilson

How about you? Do you ever wonder why you need to go to church? Would you rather just spend time with Jesus on your own? That’s not how He designed the Christian life to be. He wants you to learn about Him and worship Him with other Christians so you can support and encourage one another. So don’t neglect going to church—we’re all on this journey with Jesus together!

Today's Key Verse: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: We need other Christians