What Are You Carrying

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Every man carries something. The question is: Are you carrying what God gave you to carry? Or are you carrying something you were never meant to even hold? Get ready to lock shields with your brothers in Christ and take up your cross and follow him. This is Everyday Carry, a daily word for men. Let's carry it.

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Welcome

Week Five And A Resource Plug

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back, brother. I am Brian Crumb, and today we're kicking off week five here on Everyday Carry. But before we get into it, I want to give a big shout out to the great folks over at Men's Ministry.online. If you're a man looking to deepen your walk with Christ, whether you've been walking with him for years, or if you're just starting to figure this whole Jesus thing out, they've got resources for you. In fact, they actually just kicked off a whole new section of the website called Win the Fight, where they are working on building out some channels to help you overcome the struggles that all of us men deal with, starting with a very big one, and that is an addiction to pornography. So if that's a struggle for you, head over, check out Win the Fight, because there's no shaming, there's no humiliation, but they are there to help you kick this habit once and for all and walk with you through it the entire way. So check out men's ministry.online and start becoming the man God created you to be today. So

Ecclesiastes On Brotherhood

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last week we talked about testing the church you sit in, and today we're going to talk about the men who sit beside you. Let's jump in at Ecclesiastes 4, verses 9 through 12, and it says, Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil, for if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. You see, the preacher here isn't writing a greeting card. Ecclesiastes spends most of its pages naming things that don't hold up under scrutiny. There's wealth, pleasure, achievement, even being right. Here's one thing though that does. You see, the Hebrew word for that fellow who lifts you up is Rea, companion, think friend or neighbor. It shows up three or four times in these four verses, and the preacher isn't being repetitive, he's making sure that you can't read this passage without picturing an actual man's face. But notice the logic isn't emotional, it's mechanical. You see, two get a better return for their work, their labor. Two can lift what one falling man cannot lift by himself. Two share warmth that one does not generate by himself. Two can stand up against an attacker, but one, well, then take him out. You see, every single reason here is practical, not sentimental. Solomon isn't telling you that brotherhood feels nice. He's telling you it's structurally necessary, that a man alone is running at a real disadvantage that he can't argue his way out of. And then, verse 12 seals it. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. Two is good, and three is stronger still. That's not a throwaway detail. It's actually the difference between a friendship and a brotherhood. You see, two men can drift into isolation together without anybody noticing, and a third man is often the one who catches what the other two miss in each other.

Solitude Versus Isolation

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Now here's where I have to correct something gently though, because we've turned some things are between me and God into a doctrine of convenience. Yeah, okay, that's true, some things are between you and God, but Ecclesiastes 4 will not let that become your excuse for having no rea. Solitude with God and isolation from men are not the same thing, and most of us have let the first one cover for the second, and that leads us to today's charge.

Name Your Three Men

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So here's the carry for today. I want you to name the three men you'd actually call if everything fell apart tonight. Not men that you like, not men that you think are pretty cool, men that you specifically would call. I want you to write down the names of those three men. I want you to write it down on paper, write it down in your notes app, whatever it is. Wherever you'll see them again on Friday. Now, if you can only name one, uh, or if you can't name any right now, don't panic. Don't fix that today. Just write down the true number. Be honest with yourself. That's your starting point, not your failure. And that's all the time

Final Charge And Share

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we have for today. Remember to take up your cross today and follow him, and I'll see you back here tomorrow. Carry on, brother.

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Thanks for joining us for today's episode. Share today's episode with a brother in Christ that needs to hear this too. And be sure to leave us a five star rating and review to help spread the word to more men just like you. This has been Everyday Carrie. A daily word for men. Stay confirmed. Carry on.