By Elise Quashie (Kingstown Church of Christ)
The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:24-25, "For our comely [parts] have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [part] which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for another."
For the church to function harmoniously, each member must be concerned about the well-being of his fellow believers, including the elderly. James 1:27 states, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world." James is telling us it is our Christian responsibility to visit the widows and oh how they appreciate these visits.
Recently the ladies of the congregation visited one of our elderly members, sister John, at her home in Belmont. It was one of the most memorable moments in my Christian life. She was so overjoyed to see us that she hardly knew how to contain her exuberance and appreciation. She hid her face in her hand, laughed and rolled on her bed with the excitement of a toddler. Ever so often she would reach out to one of us for a hug and kiss. It was a beautiful sight.
Our time spent with her was not very long but left a lasting impression. We sang songs and prayed with her and she never stopped smiling and swaying to the songs. We were few in numbers but that did not take anything away from us. We had a great time in the Lord. The bible tells us in Matthew 18:20, ”For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” You can be assured we felt his presence with us. I was so uplifted, so grateful to see such beautiful smiles from my sister whom I had not seen for over ten years.
Sister John stopped smiling for the first time since we got there when we told her we were leaving. The sadness was so evident on her face that it brought tears to my eyes. Our visits to the shut-in are of great encouragement to them all. They treasure, value and look forward with great expectation to the next visit. Let us do our part to encourage our senior brethren to continue the journey of faith in the Lord. To hold on to the end.
By visiting the elderly we can also benefit by drawing on their knowledge and experience. We can experience the greater happiness that comes from giving, as well as an inner peace from having fulfilled our Christian responsibility. Acts 20:35 reads, "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
We have a mission. We have been sent. Let us all join together in obedience to the Lord and you too will receive an eternal blessing.
The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:24-25, "For our comely [parts] have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [part] which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for another."
For the church to function harmoniously, each member must be concerned about the well-being of his fellow believers, including the elderly. James 1:27 states, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world." James is telling us it is our Christian responsibility to visit the widows and oh how they appreciate these visits.
Recently the ladies of the congregation visited one of our elderly members, sister John, at her home in Belmont. It was one of the most memorable moments in my Christian life. She was so overjoyed to see us that she hardly knew how to contain her exuberance and appreciation. She hid her face in her hand, laughed and rolled on her bed with the excitement of a toddler. Ever so often she would reach out to one of us for a hug and kiss. It was a beautiful sight.
Our time spent with her was not very long but left a lasting impression. We sang songs and prayed with her and she never stopped smiling and swaying to the songs. We were few in numbers but that did not take anything away from us. We had a great time in the Lord. The bible tells us in Matthew 18:20, ”For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” You can be assured we felt his presence with us. I was so uplifted, so grateful to see such beautiful smiles from my sister whom I had not seen for over ten years.
Sister John stopped smiling for the first time since we got there when we told her we were leaving. The sadness was so evident on her face that it brought tears to my eyes. Our visits to the shut-in are of great encouragement to them all. They treasure, value and look forward with great expectation to the next visit. Let us do our part to encourage our senior brethren to continue the journey of faith in the Lord. To hold on to the end.
By visiting the elderly we can also benefit by drawing on their knowledge and experience. We can experience the greater happiness that comes from giving, as well as an inner peace from having fulfilled our Christian responsibility. Acts 20:35 reads, "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
We have a mission. We have been sent. Let us all join together in obedience to the Lord and you too will receive an eternal blessing.
