"To Be a Part"

 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." (John 16:20 KJV) 

  "I will exalt you, LORD, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O LORD. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:1-5 NLT)

 Here is the thing that I have come to understand: We are here for as long as God will have us here; no matter what you might be go through, if God still wants you to hang around, then you will be hanging around, as long as He has you here! Period! And, as long as you are here, whether you are doing well or barely making it from day to day, you must rejoice and be a part of this glorious journey! 

 We can look around our world and find things to complain about; but when it comes right down to it, complaints are really for those who are of this world, not for those who have hope in the LORD! We know the truth, the Truth which has set us free from all of this, sorrow, death, and sinfulness. 

 Having said that, I also know that there are days when we feel overwhelmed and alone. Almost as if we are on this journey by ourselves, dealing with issues that our own, suffering with problems that we feel others don't seem to be going through. But, have heart! You are never alone! You are a part of the body of Christ Jesus, your Redeemer, Master, and Friend! 

 Really, we must try harder to be a part! Do not forsake fellowship and the opportunity to come together; we need one another more than we might think! The more we can be together, the more we are not apart...

"We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, yet we have everything." (2 Corinthians 6:8-10 NLT)