Wednesday, 18 November 2009
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Rejoicing in Others: It's Not Always Easy
By DaniCan you remember a time when you looked around at the faces in church and were thankful for the people surrounding you? I remember times. They weren’t yesterday. This isn’t a guilt trip. The times when you were happy, the times when you were sad and the times where you were angrily, frustrated flux in a non-chronological continuum.
Often, when passages like this are preached, we are encouraged (pushed) to rejoice in the fellow believers around us. We are cajoled into loving the unlovable and liking the negative nitpickers. We sit amongst the brethren and stew. All the faces start to annoy us. The handshakes feel insincere. Then, that guy, who’s been trying to push your buttons for the past eight months backs you into a corner. He berates you, unjustly. You sulk. You scorn, and you feel incredibly guilty because you are not rejoicing in the family of believers.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
-- Phillipians 1:1-6
Sometimes when we read this, we get annoyed. “So, I need to rejoice in these jerks and pray for them and be a good person, blah, blah-blah,” is the way your alone-time prayer begins. Ok, your attitude is wrong, but within that annoyance a new truth emerges. Maybe this passage is about us, you and I.
Let’s try to be that person that is worth someone thanking the Lord on our behalf. Can you imagine eavesdropping on the prayers of another and hearing your name spoken of positively? It would totally change your day. We will venture to guess that someone, somewhere is praying positively about you, because of something, sometime that you did that was right. If you don’t think so, then up your odds. Do something, that you already know you should. Today.
What are some ways you can show your thankfulness to the community around you? What things are keeping you from rejoicing in the family of believers?
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Comments (3)
I don't rejoice in the community of believers. I give thanks for the wonderful individuals I have the good fortune to meet everyday regardless of whether they are believers.
As a matter of fact, whether someone is a believer or not is the furthest thing from my mind. I just make sure that I am believing every moment possible. And I do that by being grateful.
In the community around me? I don't get out nearly as much as I feel I should. At the same time, when I go to church in the towns around me for Bible Studies, regular mass, whatever it may be, the sincere members always make me feel welcome; thus, I feel I can open up. At this point in my life, I kind of feel like I am presented with opportunities to bring others to Christ; at the same rate, I feel extremely blessed for all of the faith learning I have at my hands, so I feel I need to share it with others. When people hear what I have to say, they are commending and warm. Still I have 1 or 2 friends who refuse to listen, but I know I have to say what I need to say, and then God will take care of the rest.
The biggest thing keeping me from rejoicing in those around me is the fear of being accepted, and I am still working on that in the way meant for me. Like I said, it is fairly common for me to feel welcome at my church.
I'm grateful for everybody in my life, believer or not