Weep With Those Who Weep

Rejoice With Those Who Rejoice (Job 2:7-13, Romans 12:1-21, Luke 15:7 and 10) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. (Romans 12:14-16) As we read in Job his friends did pretty well for a while, actually for 7 full days, in their goal of being a comfort to him. They showed up, and sat quietly with him Then I think they got tired and they started talking. (Job 2:13). You kniw, I've been there, and silence after a while become deafning. Silence tends to make us uncomfortable, so we try to fill it with comforting words. Often afterwatds, you wish you would have just kept your mouth shut. But in times like this, where there is great anguish, great suffering (like Job’s), our words do not sink in, they fail to do, what they are inttended to do, and the pary we are a tempting to comfort, gains nothing from those words. We do have to give Job’s friends credit just the same, after all, they did comfort him by the fact they cared enough to come, and to sit relating to his grief for 7 days. But then as we often do, we start thinking we need to do more, and instead of comfort,we begin to offer answers that do not ease (Job’s) or the person we are visitings hurt, pain, or loss. Friends when we find ourselves in these positions, we need to ask God to give us wisdom to know when to speak and when not too. When to offer comfort though our silent presence and when we speak, we will speak healing into the bones of the one who is suffering. Thus "we weep with those who weep." We nend to feel deep empathy and solidarity with others, sharing in their emotional experiences rather than remaining indifferent. Romans 12:15 (NIV): "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Galatians 6:2 (NIV): "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ". 1 Corinthians 12:26 (NIV): "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it". But then it says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice"(Romans 12:15) It is called celebrating, or partying with aomeone, when they have reason to do so. A biblical example is the story of "The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost (prodical) Son. (On Luke 15) A good example of this, would be when a sister inlaw, came to the Lord, we planned a party to celebrate with her, in her being lost forso many years, and then Jesus found her and she gave her life to Him. Also in that celebration, we got to hear a tesmony of her father, up to that day, very few had heard his testmony, but in the celebration, he felt comfortable and excited enough, he shared. It was such a blessing to hear and celebrate together in the celebration of our Lord, our Good Shepherd. (Luke 15:7, 10, see the sorrow and then the emence joy and celebration in heaven—specifically among the angels—whenever one sinner repents and receives Jesus Christ. This divine celebration highlights the high value God places on each individual's salvation and return to Him. We can be ashured that the rejoicing we feel when we find something that was lost, or someone lost is sin is found in Christ, it is not just human emotion, but a divine response from the heavenly realm as well. Just read chapter 15 of Luke, and rejoice in your heart for the lost being found. Pray- Father thank you, for wanting us to carry one anothers burdens, and to both, weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. In this we pray for wisdom, when we find ourselves in the possition to do so. Thank you Lord AMEN.