Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

SATURDAY MAY 30


THE GIFT OF TEARS

I called a longtime friend when his mother died. She had been a close friend of my mother, and now both had passed on. As we spoke, our conversation slipped easily into a cycle of emotion__tears of sorrow now that Beth was gone and tears of laughter as we recalled the caring and fun person she had been.

Many of us have experienced that strange crossover from crying one moment and laughing the next. It's an amazing gift that emotions of both sorrow and joy can provide a physical release in this way.

Since we are made in God's image (GEN. 1:26)), and humor is such an integral part of almost every culture, I imagine that Jesus must have had a wonderful sense of humor. But we know that He also knew the pain of grief. When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus saw Mary weeping, and "He groaned in the spirit and was troubled." A short time later, He too began to weep (JHON 11:33-35).

Our ability to express our emotions with tears is a gift, and God keeps track of each tear we cry. Psalm 56:8 says,
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book" (NLT)> But one day__we are promised (REV. 7:17)__God "will wipe away every tear." __Cindy Hess Kasper

** Lord You have made us to laugh, to cry, to yearn, to love__and to miss
those who have gone before us. Help us to love even more deeply, confident
in Your goodness and in the resurrection You promise. _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Or loving heavenly Father, who washed away our sins, will also wipe
away our tears.

************************Today's Bible Reading __ John 11:32-44****************************
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him,
she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord if You had
been here, my brother would not have died."

33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping,...He
groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said "Where
have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"

37 And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened
the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said "Take
away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord,
by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would
believe you would see the glory of God?"

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the
dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said,
"Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know
that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are
standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."

43 Now when he had said these things, He cried with a loud
voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out
bound hand and foot....

Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Not only did Jesus weep for others but also
for His own suffering Gethsemane. The enemy Jesus faced was
death--both physical and spiritual. As the sin-bearer, the Lord
Jesus Christ bore the full wrath of God for sinners (ISA. 53:4). He
experienced a full range of human emotions so He could be a
compassionate High Priest for us (HEB. 2:18).