COMPASSION

Jesus’ ministry on this earth concentrated on love: loving all people no matter their circumstances or what they did or failed to do.  It was an unconditional, pure love that we are to emulate in our lives too.

Compassion is another important charism Jesus shared with so many which God modeled for Him. We, in turn, need to follow in their footsteps sharing compassion in our lives.

 

One definition of compassion is sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. The word compassion in Hebrew and Greek includes a broader definition “to love, showing pity and mercy.” Compassion is a form of love for those who are suffering or vulnerable, which leads us to take action.

As you are reading your Bible, you will find many instances where God and Jesus share great compassion with all of humankind.  They are plentiful, but I will just share one example for each…

 

God’s compassion:

When the Israelites realize their sin and confess…

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them…  –Nehemiah 9:17  (NIV)

God has a heart of compassion for all His people and does not want any to walk in darkness and be lost.  God’s compassion leads Him to action.

ACTION to keep His covenant promises, to not desert even those that rebel against Him, to remember all His people fondly with a heart that yearns to share His love.

 

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Jesus’ compassion:

One time when Jesus was preaching to a crowd of four thousand who gathered to listen to Him…

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”  –Matthew 15:32  (NIV)

Jesus lived a life of compassion in His three short years of public ministry.  Jesus’ compassion for every person He met led Him to action.

ACTION to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and calm the storms in their lives.

  

Consider the ultimate way Jesus showed compassion for all of humankind:

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.  –1 Peter 3:18  (NLT)

Truly the greatest way Jesus shared compassion, showing us love, pity, and mercy, was dying on the cross so that EVERY ONE of us can be set free from sin and live with God and Jesus in heaven for all of eternity!

What a powerful ACTION!  Indeed, what a compassionate and gracious Jesus we serve~~

 

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Reflecting on the ways that God and Jesus have shown love and compassion, I believe our lives are to follow in their footsteps in our simple, ordinary lives.

We are called to compassion:

You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  –Colossians 3:12  (GNT)

 

What are some examples of how our ACTIONS can show compassion?

–Checking on our neighbor that is in the hospital

–Praying for the sick or lonely

–Feeding the hungry through a soup kitchen or food collection

–Sponsoring a person in a third world country to provide food and an education

–Providing a listening ear to someone who is struggling

–Visiting a shut-in

–Phoning a friend to check on them

 

Photo courtesy of BK under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

Love and compassion go hand in hand in our lives.

 

As I was heading to my prayer garden one day, I ran into a couple trying to find the entrance to the soup kitchen at the church.  The dinner had already ended, but I was able to give them some food and fresh veggies I was taking home.  The following week I ran into the couple again where I showed them the entrance.  In the process, I was able to retrieve a cushion that fell into the road, get their back hatch to close, and get in line to get the food for them so the disabled husband would not have to get out of the car.  The best part of this interaction was seeing the pure joy and excitement of the woman when she told me what she had made with the veggies.  My heart was filled with love and compassion then, and with thinking of this couple throughout the week, which led me to pray for them.

I saw love and compassion reflected in a nurse and the coworker I shared about recently.  My coworker’s neighbor is still in the hospital and not doing well.  The nurse who was helping the neighbor talked with my coworker and made suggestions for ways he could better assist his neighbor.  Extending that love and compassion touched the neighbor’s daughter when my coworker contacted her.

While at a baseball game with my son, I saw a man help an elderly woman using a walker, slowly make her way to the sidelines and sit in the chair she brought. When the game was over, I saw the man going to get the woman to help walk out with her.  Seeing them filled my heart with love and compassion, and I started praying for them. To help them in a small way, I folded up the chair and carried it for them.

 

Photo courtesy of Chronic Joy® under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)

 

This week I encourage you to put into ACTION some acts of compassion as we emulate and share the examples that God and Jesus modeled.

May the Spirit lead you to see different ways to lay down your life for others as Jesus did.

 

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  –Lamentations 3:21-22  (NIV)