Jesus wept. ~John 11:35 (NIV)
Scripture teaches that Jesus had close friends in Bethany. He stayed with them when he came into town and spent time teaching others from their home. Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha were like family to Jesus. In John 11 we read of Lazarus’ death and how Jesus came into town after hearing the news. Mary tells Jesus if he had been there, she knew her brother would not have died. Jesus knew Mary’s heart and everything in it. That’s why He wept. He didn’t weep for Lazarus. He wept for Mary and her sister Martha. The pain of losing a loved one can be devastating. These women weren’t thinking of how they were going to make it financially. They weren’t concerned about who was going to help them move the furniture around or till the garden. They were grieved as to how they were going to go on living without their loved one. We hurt when our friends hurt because our hearts are bound together with each other in love and God gives us His word to comfort those who mourn. The Lord tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope.” (NIV) Grief is both mental and emotional pain and it is very important that we have the Lord’s compassion with others so that we are able to promote healing through sharing the hope we have in God and His word. We, as believers, do not grieve without hope over lost loved ones because we know we will see them again. We know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is not bound by death or time. He says we have a great homecoming in heaven coming. We do not grieve without hope over a crashed stock market or a failed business because God is our source, and He is the resurrection and the life. He brings life to everything because He is life! The Lord promises that though the righteous fall seven times, they will rise again. We do not grieve without hope over wayward children because God promises to pour His Spirit out on our children and that all our children will be taught by the Lord Himself!
Many people have experienced so much pain in grief that they begin to distance themselves from others. Maybe they were never met with a living hope by someone who knew the living God. Jesus is our example of a true friend. He loved people. He laughed with them, and He wept for them, and He always brought hope in God to every situation. That’s what friends do. They share their hope. The Lord tells us Romans 12:5 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” (TLB) The truth is if you want to have good friends then you need to be a good friend. We need to take a close look at our investment in others often. There are a lot of hurting people out there and some of them could cross your path today. You will recognize them pretty quickly because hurting people are usually either withdrawn or spending their time hurting other people. They can be defensive and obstinate. They can be rude and unruly. Those aren't the ones to run from, they are the ones to minister God's goodness to. Are you being a good friend? Do you know someone that needs a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand, or an encouraging word? Don’t hold back and don’t make excuses. We can't be too busy to show hurting people that they are important to us, and that they are important to God. We are in a great position to bring healing into the lives of others because we carry the Lords promises in our heart. Our success is not determined by money or power or even a clean house; it is determined by how well we love each other. How well do you love others?
My purpose in telling you to do this is to promote love—the kind of love shown by those whose thoughts are pure, who do what they know is right, and whose faith in God is real. ~1 Timothy 1:5 (ERV)
What will you say or do to show someone today that they are important to God?
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