Vol. 16 No. 05 | February 4, 2013
When weare added to the body of Christ we become recipients of certain and immediate blessings. Kingdom life is the best life. One such blessing is the immediate formation of relationships with other members of the Body. In a section from Paul’s letter to the Romans consisting mostly of instructions on how to develop and
maintain those relationships we find these words: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15, NIV84)
If you have been in the Body for any length of time there is a strong possibility that you have enjoyed not only being the giver of this blessing, but also being the recipient of the blessing.
As members of God’s body we rejoice with those who rejoice.
When a friend’s son graduates from high school we rejoice with them.
When a friend’s daughter is crowned homecoming queen we rejoice with them.
When a friend gets a promotion we rejoice with them even when we really hoped we would get that promotion.
When a brother wins an award we rejoice with them.
When a sister is recognized for her hard work and contributions to her profession we rejoice with her.
When our son and his wife have a child our brothers and sisters rejoice with us.
When our daughter gets married our brothers and sisters rejoice with us.
When a new sister is added to the body we rejoice with her.
When our friends celebrate another wedding anniversary we
rejoice with them.
When a friend goes home to be with the Lord we rejoice with them.
As members of God’s body we mourn with those who mourn.
When a friend loses his job we mourn with them.
When a friend has an automobile accident we mourn with them.
When a sister has a miscarriage we mourn with her.
When a brother gets so depressed that he wants to end his life we mourn with him.
When a friend tells us his wife has moved out we mourn with him.
When a friend shares that she has learned that her husband has had an affair we mourn with her.
When a couple we have loved for decades inform us that they are getting a divorce we mourn with them.
When a friend confesses an addiction we mourn with them.
When a friend reveals they were abused as a child we mourn with them.
When a friend admits they cannot let go of the hatred we mourn with them.
When a friend who has walked beside you in faith for years tells you he is struggling to hang on we mourn with them.
When God created us He knew there would be times when we would need someone to hear the cries of our heart and the fears of our soul, so He designed His living Body to meet those needs. When God created us He knew there would be times when our hearts would be filled with so much joy that we could not contain, so He designed His living Body so that together we can share the joy of our salvation.
Let us rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. And let us always remember how blessed we are that have those who rejoice with us when we rejoice and mourn with us when we mourn.
Tom
© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.