our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Apr 23, 2018, 2:17:05 AM4/23/18

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When One Hurts, All Hurt

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corinthians 12:26

When a coworker called in sick due to extreme pain, everyone at the office was concerned. After a trip to the hospital and a day of bed rest, he returned to work and showed us the source of that pain—a kidney stone. He’d asked his doctor to give him the stone as a souvenir. Looking at that stone, I winced in sympathy, remembering the gallstone I had passed years ago. The pain had been excruciating.

Isn’t it interesting that something so small can cause a whole body so much agony? But in a way, that’s what the apostle Paul alludes to in 1 Corinthians 12:26: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Throughout chapter 12, Paul used the metaphor of a body to describe Christians around the world. When Paul said, “God has put the body together” (v. 24), he was referring to the entire body of Christ—all Christians. We all have different gifts and roles. But since we’re all part of the same body, if one person hurts, we all hurt. When a fellow Christian faces persecution, grief, or trials, we hurt as if we’re experiencing that pain.

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corint

My coworker’s pain drove him to get the help his body needed. In the body of Christ, someone’s pain ignites our compassion and moves us toward action. We might pray, offer a word of encouragement, or do whatever it takes to aid the healing process. That’s how the body works together.

Lord, please give peace to those who are persecuted or in pain. Your family is my family too.

We’re in this together.

一同受苦

若一个肢体受苦，所有的肢体就一同受苦；若一个肢体得荣耀，所有的肢体就一同快乐。-哥林多前书12章26节

有个同工因身体剧痛而请病假，办公室里的每一个人都为他担心。那位同工去了一趟医院，卧床休养一天之后，便返回工作岗位。他向医生拿了那颗造成剧痛的肾结石作为纪念，还展示给大家看。我看着那颗结石，不禁颦眉蹙额寄予同情，想起几年前我患上了胆结石，那种痛简直是椎心刺骨。

对于一颗小小的结石，竟能造成全身如此大的痛苦，实在值得深思。在某种意义上来说，这正是使徒保罗在哥林多前书12章26节中提到：“若一个肢体受苦，所有的肢体就一同受苦。”在12章中，保罗以身体为比喻来形容全球基督徒的关系。当保罗说：“上帝配搭这身子”（24节），他是指基督的整个身体，也就是所有的基督徒。我们都有不同的恩赐与角色，在一个身子上各自做肢体，若一人受伤，全体皆痛。当一个基督徒面临迫害、悲痛或试炼，我们也感到痛苦，就好像我们也正经历那痛苦一般。

我的同工因疼痛而驱使他为身体的需要寻求帮助。在基督的身体中，一人的受苦也能激发我们的怜悯，进而驱使我们采取行动。我们可以为他祷告，对他说些鼓励的话，或做任何有助于让他复原的事。这就是身体运行的方式！

主啊，求祢赐下平安给那些遭受迫害或身处痛苦的人。
凡属祢的人就是我的家人。