Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Romans 12:14-16, The New International Version
Today's simple verse has profound implications in our modern times. "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." One of the big issues of our age is "compassion overload." We are subjected to so many heartbreaking realities through media that we can become desensitized to the pain of others.
Take for instance our current pandemic. Throughout the world, almost two and a half million people have succumbed to the coronavirus. It is easy to read that number and say, "wow," or "oh well," or argue "that not everyone died of coronavirus," etc. No matter how you take in that information, it represents two and a half million families mourning a loved one while we may remain unmoved (I am talking to myself also).
We could cite many more statistics that would shock us. $150 million dollars was spent on weight-loss today while 25,000 people died of starvation today and 850 million people went to bed hungry. You get the idea. I am simply trying to connect our hearts to our minds.
Rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn is an appeal for Christ's disciples to become emotionally connected. Neither rejecting pain and enjoying the good times, or rejecting the good times and embracing the pain. We are to find ourselves living the full life of compassion and celebration.
You have probably met "holy" people without a sense of humor, or "unholy saints" who miss the opportunities to hug and encourage the broken. Both are met in Jesus. He knows how to relate to us in good times and bad.
So here is my point. Our relationship with others begins with feeling the joys and pains of others. Both can be uncomfortable, but both are needed for a true relationship. Check your heart. Have you grown cold because of our culture? Let's embrace Kingdom culture that looks at life with Jesus' eyes.
Here are our action plans today:
Do you know someone who is hurting? Reach out to them. Listen to them. Pray for them.
Do you know some who needs you to rejoice with them? Spend some time hearing their story of victory and celebrating with them.
Have a great day!
Love, Pastor Stuart