The joy of being cared for

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: Philippians 4:10

Our thought for today: “The joy of being cared for”

Doesn’t it feel good to know you are cared for? Not just cared about, but cared for. Over the course of a couple of decades, the church in Philippi had repeatedly shown care for Paul. They loved him, prayed for him, supported his ministry financially, and even sent people to check on him to be sure he was okay.

But apparently at one point, for one reason or another, the Philippians were not able to help Paul. That’s what verse 10 seems to indicate. But then, they were able to help him again and in verse 10 Paul writes of how much joy he received from their thoughtfulness and kindness towards him.

I think we can all appreciate how Paul felt. We have all experienced the warm fuzzy feeling that washes over you when you realize that someone has been especially thoughtful and kind to you. It makes you feel good and it brings you joy. That’s what Paul was describing here. Their thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity, was a source of joy and encouragement to him.

You have the power to make other people feel good like that too. You can bring joy into someone else’s life by showing concern for them and by going out of your way to be kind to them. Sometimes it might be you caring for others, and other times it is others caring for you. Doesn’t it feel good to be cared for like that – to know that other people love you, they care about you, and they’ll be there for you?

Once, while I was on a mission trip in the Amazon Jungle and my wife Linda was home alone, she fell and hurt herself and couldn’t get up. She called one of the ladies in our church who in turn called 911 and then rushed to our house. At the same time, she called me and through what must have been divine intervention, my cell connected to the call even though I was in the Amazon Jungle.

Our friend kept me on the line when she got to our house and I listened as the paramedics had to break out a window in our back door to get into the house, find Linda, and transport her to the hospital. Two other church members, both nurses at the hospital, met her in the Emergency Room and stayed with her. In the meantime, two men went to our house and fixed the door. Then in the days to come, other church members cared for Linda and continued to check on her.

Through it all, I was more than 3000 miles away in a remote part of the world and there wasn’t a thing I could do to help my wife. But it was okay because my church family had my back. They were watching out for my wife and taking care of her for me, and that gave me a great sense of comfort and peace.

That’s the kind of thing the Apostle Paul was describing here. There is comfort, peace, and joy in knowing that you are cared about and cared for. And that is something we can all do for each other.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville)

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