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August 31, 2020 8:00 pm
In 2013, seventy-year-old James McConnell, a British Royal Marine veteran, died. McConnell had no family, and staff from his nursing home feared no one would attend his funeral. A man tapped to officiate McConnell’s memorial service, posted a Facebook message: “In this day and age it is tragic enough that anyone has to leave this world with no one to mourn their passing, but this man was family. . . . If you can make it to the graveside . . . to pay your respects to a former brother in arms then please try to be there.” Two-hundred Royal Marines packed the pews!
These British compatriots exhibited a biblical truth: we’re tied to one another. “The body is not made up of one part, but of many,” Paul says (1 Corinthians 12:14). We’re not isolated. Just the opposite: we’re bound in Jesus. Scripture reveals organic interconnection: “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with [him]” (v. 26 nasb). As believers in Jesus, members of God’s new family, we move toward one another, into the pain, into the sorrow, into those murky places where we would fear to go alone. But thankfully we do not go alone.
Perhaps the worst part of suffering is when we feel we’re drowning in the dark all by ourselves. God, however, creates a new community that suffers together. A new community where no one should be left in the dark.
Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled suffering together was written by Wynn Collier, 2013. 70-year-old James McConnell, a British Royal Marine veteran died. McConnell had no family and staff from his nursing home feared no one would attend his funeral. A man tapped to officiate McConnell's memorial service posted a Facebook message in this day and age it is tragic enough that anyone has to leave this world with no one to mourn their passing, but this man was family. If you can make it to the gravesite to pay your respects to a former brother in arms, then please try to be there 200 Royal Marines packed the pews. These British compatriots exhibited a biblical truth from first Corinthians chapter 12. We are tied to one another. The body is not made up of one part but of many.
Paul says we are not isolated, just the opposite.
We're bound in Jesus Scripture reveals organic interconnection.
If one member suffers, all the members suffer as believers in Jesus. Members of God's new family we move toward one another into the pain into the sorrow into those murky places where we would fear to go alone but thankfully we do not go alone. Perhaps the worst part of suffering is one we feel we are drowning in the dark all by ourselves. God, however, creates a new community that suffers together a new community where no one should be left in the dark. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional Scripture reading is from first Corinthians chapter 12 verses 14 through 26.
Even so, the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body. It would not for that reason. Stop being part of the body, and if the ear should say because I am not an II do not belong to the body.
It would not for that reason. Stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be if the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be, but in fact God has placed the parts in the body. Every one of them just as he wanted them to be.
If they were all one part, where would the body be as it is.
There are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand. I don't need you and the head cannot say to the feet. I don't need you on the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable in the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor and the parts that are un-presentable are treated with special modesty. While our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together giving great honor to the parts that lacked it so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Let's pray dear God, thank you for putting us in community with other believers help us to share each other's burdens.
When a friend literally hurts a limb. Let us use our own to be a help to him when our brother is hurting in some other way. May we sympathize with him as we pray for him and love him as you love us in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries
