“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” — Romans 12:15 (ESV)
Rejoicing and Weeping with Others
Have you ever experienced love and compassion from someone right when you needed it? Have you laughed or rejoiced with friends or family when you wanted to celebrate something great? Or, have you ever had a friend cry with you in a time of great trial and grief?
In Romans 12:15 (ESV), God commands us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus because His heart is filled with compassion for people. David exemplifies this truth in Psalm 30:11 (ESV) when he says, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” Let’s spend time today encountering God’s heart of mercy for His people and learn how we can better share the love we’ve been shown with others.
As children of God, we are called to community. We are called to step away from the path of selfish ambition and sacrifice our lives for others the way Jesus has for us. Often this sacrificial life requires simply being there for those God has placed in our lives in whatever capacity they need. Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV) says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
God calls us to clothe ourselves with His heart. He asks us to be ambassadors for Him by sharing His love with others. Philippians 2:3 (ESV) says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Jesus counted our redemption more important than His own life and “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8, ESV). And He asks us to be like Him.
So, how can you and I live our lives like Jesus? How can we better “rejoice with those who rejoice [and] weep with those who weep?” It all starts with encountering the heart of God ourselves. Only in seeing the incredible compassion and love God has for you will you be able to have His heart for others.
Second Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV) says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” We’re meant to love others out of the overflow of God’s love for us. He doesn’t ask you to have compassion and mercy in your own strength. He knows those are gifts that come from the Spirit working in our lives. You and I can do nothing in and of ourselves. To truly share God’s heart, we need God’s help, and that starts with simply spending time encountering God for who He is.
After being filled with the love of God, you must choose to humble yourself before others and step outside of your comfort zone to bless someone. Humility requires strength, courage and the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will always help you share God’s love for someone. Follow His leading, ask Him for His heart for people around you, and follow through with courage in love. If you will make it your goal to see God’s heart proclaimed through your life, you will experience more joy and purpose than you can imagine. Being a person who gives their own life for the sake of others will fill you with more peace and passion than living for yourself could ever produce.
Spend time encountering God’s heart today, and walk in obedience to His command: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” If you do so, you will find yourself filled with the knowledge of God’s love today and satisfied in knowing you proclaimed God’s love through your life.
— Craig Denison, First 15
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