Rejoice With Those Who Rejoice

When we see others rejoicing, God wants us to rejoice with them.  We see this in Romans 12:15 which says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep”. The second half of this verse is much easier to do than the first. It’s easy to weep with those who weep. When someone is having a tough time, it’s easy to be sympathetic.

But sometimes it is difficult to rejoice with those who are rejoicing.  In fact, we may even be threatened by it and resent it.  Maybe we think that the world is a giant pie that’s divided up into slices. We think, If somebody’s slice is bigger than mine, that must mean my slice is going to be smaller. That kind of thinking is wrong because God never runs out of blessings. He never runs out of grace. There’s more than enough to go around for everybody, and just because God blesses somebody else doesn’t mean you get less.

We see this in the parable of the vineyard workers: “The workers who had been hired first thought they would be given more than the others. But when they were given the same, they began complaining to the owner of the vineyard. . . . And he said, ‘Are you envious because I am generous?’”  (Matthew 20:10-11). Those who worked all day were paid exactly what they contracted to be paid. They weren’t cheated; yet, they resented that other people who only worked the last part of the day were given the same amount.

Envy and coveting keep us from sharing others’ joy and it can make us miserable people.  Maybe that is why God addressed coveting in the 10 Commandments: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20:17).  God wants us to be happy & at peace and knows that to do so we must be people who rejoice when others rejoice.

Questions:

• Do you agree that it is sometimes hard to celebrate with others when they experience success or blessings?
• Is it harder to rejoice with certain people than others?  For example, it may be easy to celebrate with our children when they do well but then we may resent others success.
• If you were one of the vineyard workers who started early in the day, would you have resented those who were paid the same amount even though they didn’t work as long?
• What are some of the ways you can rejoice with others and let them know you share in their joy?
• Why do you think God places such a strong emphasis on rejoicing when others rejoice?