1 Corinthians 12:26
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Many years ago I was teaching a Sunday School class of young professionals. I had tried to emphasize the biblical pattern of thanking God for everything. One Sunday one of our class members, Carletta (Midby) Allen, shared an incident she had experienced.
She was riding her bike to work when she was forced off the road and fell. Her knee was gashed open in the fall and blood poured down her leg. She bound it up as best she could and continued on her way.
She laughed as she related that the only thing she could think of was that Cecil had said to thank God for everything, so she began to thank Him for her pain. She then asked us if we had ever experienced the beauty of pain. None of us had, so she went on to say that it was almost as if the parts of her body were speaking to each other and encouraging them to be careful since one of them had been injured. It was a beautiful experience as well as for those of us who listened that day.
Today’s Scripture is a culmination of Paul’s teaching on the church of Jesus Christ and relates it to the human body. The insight I gain from his analogy is that we are to suffer along with those brothers and sisters who suffer. That means taking the time to reach out and comfort them with actions as well as with words. When one of the members of the body of Christ is honored we are urged to share with them in their honor and rejoice along with them. It means getting our eyes off of ourselves and enjoying the fellowship of other believers!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil