This week has been like every other week in that there have been extraordinary moments, a very few low moments, but by far and large time has passed in the everyday doings of life, just like everyone else.
On a side note, i find it interesting how many people have something in mind they feel God has called them to do, or what’s more commonly called, “a ministry”, but yet when the money isn’t there to pay them to do what they believe God has appointed them to do, suddenly they question whether God actually appointed them in the first place. i was recently asked, “What is your ministry?” i actually have an answer, and it’s a reply which doesn’t point myself out or elevate my status. Here it is: My ministry is to live a life which is a constant upward pointing to the sovereignty of God as my second nature, and to do what so ever He asks of me to do with all my heart, to be at the ready at all times, to do more than do rules but to yield and let His words persuade my heart. You know, if there really is only one name under Heaven, then i figure i’ve got no business tagging my name on everything so people will know who i am.
i have a truth i picked up from an old minister of the gospel many years ago, he said, “Where God’s appointment is, therein is the provision.” i think maybe our dilemma is our perspective of “Just what exactly constitutes God’s provision?” As an example, we expect money, God gives character and anointing. Would you be willing to trade a little of your character and anointing for an increase in pay? Can we accurately judge if the Lord is in our midst by how many people come to our church?
Think about it – there are more than a few golden calves around with lots of people in attendance. Can we accurately judge if God is with us by how much money people give us? Money follows ministry, ministry doesn’t follow money. There’s more than a few services around which people give lots of money to, and God has long ago left the scene. Don’t get me wrong, money and provision are a minor indicator of God’s calling, but, but absolute far and large, there are more important things than money which indicate God’s calling. Be circumspect, meaning to take all things into account to discern the Lord. Exodus 23:13, “… And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.”
When our money, or lack thereof, becomes a measure of our worth, anointing and calling, there is a serious conflict within us which needs resolution.
That’s not tonight’s topic, it’s just a side bar which seemed to need some encouragement for us to think carefully about.
This evening, our table topic is compassion, what is it, do we have a heart of compassion, and how do we access the most compassionate heart in the universe?
Jesus demonstrated compassion, He responded to the compassion of others, He went beyond words, and was THE example of the compassionate heart of the Father.
Jesus not only demonstrated great power; he also demonstrated mercy and compassion as an example to us. Compassion is derived from the word for mercy and in many places the early translators used compassion instead of mercy, although there is a difference. Our politically correct and conveniently polite society avoids the suffering multitudes, they just look like trouble, and the three L’s bother us, the Least, the Left Behind, and the Lost. But Jesus reached out and helped anyone in need.
In light of that, what exactly is compassion? Consider this: the kindness of God threw a drowning man a rope of hope, and compassion encouraged the man to grip that rope to receive God’s extension for rescue. Compassion. We all say we’ve got it, but i wonder if we really understand what God has deposited in us?
i believe compassion involves having a different perspective than empathy when it comes to how we perceive others, often being confused with empathy. Compassion has the added element of having a desire to reduce the suffering of other people, more than empathy, it’s taking action and getting involved. i define empathy as the ability to put myself in the other person’s shoes without joining them in their circumstances. In other words, sympathy says you are sick and i join you in your sickness, empathy says you are sick and i help you get over it without my joining you in your suffering, and apathy doesn’t care if you’re ill or not.
God was compassionate towards us as fallen mankind, but His Son, Jesus, not only empathized with us, but He also SYMPATHIZED with us. He not only understood our dilemma, but He also joined us in overcoming that dilemma without capitulating to participating in the cause of our dilemma, with the cause being iniquity, transgression, and sin.
Hebrews 4:15: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Do you see that phrase “touched with the feeling”? That phrase is from the Greek word, sympatheo (soom-path-eh’-o), or sympathy, meaning Jesus understood our suffering, AND He suffered everything we suffer while He was here as God in the flesh. Wow, what a Savior!!
Compassion is the forerunner of and leads to empathy. The early church fathers considered compassion more virtuous than simple empathy because, as St. Augustine said, “compassion commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering.” “Active” being a very important word there, not passive, but “active”. Universally, across the board, in most all religions on the earth, compassion is held as among the greatest of virtues. Now i can’t remember ever, in my life, hearing someone use the word virtue, outside of a biblical context, so i’ve got to wonder, what is virtue? Here’s a very good idea: Virtue is excellent character, kindness, faith, generosity and moral goodness according to God. Take special note of that, it’s according to God.
So, here’s the crossroads … if we’re honest, in addition to understanding why some people suffer the things they suffer, drug addiction, homelessness, hunger, etc. … would you be willing to consider taking action to alleviate their suffering? There’s nothing wrong with giving money, but the Lord calls us to more than just throw money at suffering. Someone must actually have the heart to do the work. Understanding someone’s suffering and actually taking action to alleviate their suffering is two different things. Empathy says we understand the situation, compassion says we go the extra mile and take action. Just because we acknowledge and agree that something is true is not the same as actually doing something about it. Agreement with the truth and commitment to take action based on the truth are different. Sincerity is not the same as following Jesus.
Matthew 5:41”If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” The Lord is leading us to enlarge our compassion for the suffering world around us.
We in church today say we love our neighbor, but if we won’t hardly go the extra mile for ourselves, what makes us think we’ll go the extra-mile for anyone else?
In 2007, a stabbing victim lay dying on the floor of a Kansas City convenience store. Five shoppers who were in the store at the time stepped over the woman, and continued to make their purchases being careful to not step in the blood. The store video showed the woman struggling to her feet three times without anyone stopping to help. All but one person stepped over her, and the one who did stop, stopped to take a picture. The outright lack of compassion for this young woman’s life, or anyone else for that matter, is deeply troubling. What is wrong with our society? Maybe people generally feel that every time they are empathetic, someone tries to take advantage of them, i don’t know. Does the lack of compassion within our society reflect the lack of compassion in the ranks of our leadership? We need God-grown compassion, and it only comes from Him.
i don’t know if the following has ever happened to you, but it certainly happened to me one time. At one point, life was very hard for me. i cried a lot. One day i met up with a friend from work who asked how i was doing. As i began to explain my situation, a couple tears rolled out of my eyes, but when i looked up, my buddy was gone. Vanished. In the following days as i pondered those events, i realized that some people get overwhelmed with the suffering of others and they put physical and emotional distance between us and themselves. It may not have anything to do with the person in crisis, they may have a similar crisis of their own going on and just can’t bear to hear of someone else’s pain. Some may even stay and listen but, simultaneously, emotionally disconnect, when that happens the person in crisis, like i was, experiences something like emotional abandonment and often have no idea why the feel that way. The Lord’s compassion is unwavering though. He always hears us and never abandons us.
The compassion God grows in our heart makes us capable of reducing suffering and fulfilling our God ordained purpose of transforming the world into something which reflects the Kingdom of Heaven. It may be only the environment in your space, and could include an entire business.
Again, it needs to be said, from before the foundations of the universe was laid, the character of the cross was worked in the heart of the Father, and out of love and compassion, from before the beginning, God laid a plan of salvation for the object of His affection. It was Love and compassion for the condemned gripped-by-sin-universe which compelled Jesus to relate to us and also to die for the sins of the world.
Compassion and Love were the motivation of Christ for healing! It’s never for the thrill of sensationalism, nor for the prospering of our selves.
The rivers of God’s compassion and mercy run full throttle, constantly, and never run dry; they are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness oh Lord.”
Every morning without fail, to be seen by those who have eyes to see, we have fresh instances of God’s compassion towards us and just because we don’t see doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Every morning He brings his judgment to light, Zephaniah 3:5, “Morning by morning He dispenses His justice, and every new day he does not fail…”
When our personal comforts fail, God’s compassions do not. He renews our strength with compassion, Psalm 86:15-16, “But you, O Lord, are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.”
Identifying with another person is an essential process for human beings. When people feel no one can identify with their problems they lean toward feeling abandoned, rejected, isolated, and alone. As our world collapses in upon itself, life seems to be taking a nose dive and nothing is working out, or when the end of this world is finally in sight, let us take refuge in Isaiah 54:10 “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”
What should we do with someone who really has no empathy or compassion for those who are suffering and burdened with grief? What do you do when someone says something that is ignorant and/or hurtful? We could just let our woundedness drive us backwards adding the hurtful situation to our list of victim credentials, or we can let the Lord change our hearts and turn our hurts into compassion for others. One man said, “When someone throws dirt on you, learn to grow flowers.” One thing which has really helped me to maintain my footing around people who seem uncompassionate, right off, is to stop caring so much about what other people think and start caring about what God thinks. Let the Lord teach you how to be comfortable in your own skin. Another thing to do is to know that your life is a meaningful and worthy existence, just as God made you, and it’s ok to look and sound like yourself. It’s good to know you are a sinner saved by grace, it’s important to know you are dead to sin and God no longer calls you sinner but saint. If you only stop there though, never taking in the full counsel of the Lord, you’ll always be stuck in all your unworthiness like something trapped in the washing-machine beater, just pounding back and forth. Let gratitude for even the small things seep into your heart, like laughing children, the light of the moon, good food, shelter … those are things we take for granted so often it seems.
Lastly, be in the moment, be present and in the room. You may think those are small things, but they really do make a difference.
Oh, this next part is so good. Matthew Henry speaks of God’s compassion in his “Commentary of the Whole Bible” saying, “For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.”
Matthew Henry continues, “Mountains have sometimes been shaken by earthquakes, and removed; but the promises of God were never broken by the shock of any event. “When our friends fail us our God does not, and neither does his compassion and kindness depart. Do the kings of the earth, and the rulers, set themselves against the Lord? They shall depart and be removed. Great mountains which stand in the way of the salvation of the church, they shall be made low (Zachariah 4:7), but God’s compassion and kindness shall never depart from his people, for whom he loves he loves to the end; nor shall the covenant of his peace ever be removed, for he is the Lord that has mercy on his people. Therefore the covenant is immovable, because it is not built on our merit, which is an uncertain thing, but on God’s mercy, which is from everlasting to everlasting.”
An open hand is indicative of generosity, and a closed fist is about judgment and the restriction of any generosity. We, who are believers, ought to pursue the Lord that we would be people similar to Him in more than just being prosperous with good words, yet operating so much of our lives with a closed fist. We need God’s compassion to become our compassion. Jesus was compassionate to the masses before we were, and because He was that way, it is made possible that we can be that way. Because Jesus loved, we can love. Because Jesus had compassion and empathy, we can be that way too. Not just “act” like that, but “be” like that. The entire Hebrew language, which the O.T. is written in, is highly action oriented.
God has a never ending compassionate heart towards us, and when we make a mistake, He’s not a cruel task master standing over us with a whip held high above His head, ready to strike. That is the doctrine of men, and not the heart of the Father. So many of us are so, so afraid of making a mistake and getting something wrong. A well-known evangelist said, concerning mistakes, “…what matters to God is our heart, not our performance. He knows we aren’t perfect and He’s totally OK with it. The devil loves to remind us of our mistakes, but just because we make a mistake doesn’t mean we ARE a mistake. The biggest mistake we can make is to be afraid of making one. Stop being held hostage by the fear of making mistakes, because you will, we all will, and there’s a difference between unintentional mistakes, and purposeful sin. God is not calling you to NOT make mistakes, He’s calling you to be bold and fearless and to break out in faith, trusting Him to lead you.”
Wow! i’ve read and heard many things, but that…. that just rocks my world! Our God, the Lord has compassion on us, and to say, “Mountains have sometimes been shaken by earthquakes, and removed; but the promises of God are never broken by the shock of any event.”, oh what a mighty God we serve!
The Lord delights to show us mercy. Out of His great love and compassion He delights to forgive us. He has compassion to save us. Do we delight to have mercy on others who we consider offensive, or do we secretly hold them in contempt, almost feeding off of the snurling lip of our attitude? It is the compassion of God to forgive and acquit us of our wrongness of character, and it seems to me we need to begin our walk down the road less traveled to discover the compassion of God in our hearts towards a dying world.
So, what did God impart of Himself when He created compassion? Compassion is a heart and head concept in that it is an attitude of heart and an action in our head…and by action i mean we get involved and do something about those of more unfortunate circumstances. With the Lord compassion is a continual spring of water, a flowing stream making Him a pillar of support from beginning to end. The call of God bids us to be as He is. In compassion is impartable hidden goodness, but it’s the kind of goodness that is concealed and also revealed. A little of God’s goodness in us goes a long way, or it could be said, it is the “little which holds much”. The last two Hebrew letters of the word for compassion is spelled yod, hey, which is God’s shortened name, Yah! His very name is right in the middle of righteous compassion, making us walking miracles through whom He gives support to the fallen and broken ones who put their trust in Him. Think about that one, catch the passion of God’s heart.
These are all qualities of the Lord which He is developing in us that we would be like Jesus. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Since Jesus tore the veil in the temple, the veil of separation, He is no longer hidden from us … we can now look Him, eye to eye. As a result, we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. This comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
If there was ever an example of compassion it is the heart of God Himself. The Lord Jesus, The Name was moved by the lostness of the people around Him, as seen in Matthew 9:36 where it says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
In Luke 15, As Jesus tells the story of the lost son returning home, the father sees his son while he is still far away, suggesting the father’s longing for his son’s return. When he sees him, the father feels deep love and compassion for his son. According to Jesus, this illustrates the way God sees mankind in their condition of least, lost, and left behind, the three L’s. The compassion of God does not deny his just anger over sin. Yet the God who judges our sin is the same God whose heart is moved by our sinful, lost condition.
Here is some things to ponder: Do you ever think of God as having feelings for you? If not, well … why not? If you do, which feelings do you tend to attribute to God?
Do you believe that God is “filled with love and compassion” for you? If you really believed this, how does it impact your relationship with God? How does that belief impact your relationships with others? Think about it!
i’m Social Porter and thank you for joining me here at Outposts for cool jazz and contemplative conversation, it’s a semi-live broadcast from the late night, cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.
This evening’s brilliant topic was brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars, the home of brilliant creativity and dynamic forward thinking, the Mebane Freedom League with Allan, Kevin, and Tommy, Clay Hyder of Clay Hyder Trucking, good ol’ Bob at the Ranch Motel, and Trinity Bakers, the sweet spot on main street where there’s always something good in the oven.
i read somewhere that one of the ugliest things ever seen is a human being with no compassion. A basic concept of the Hebrew for compassion is to touch and be touched, it is more involved than simple empathy, compassion commonly inspires an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering, and is connected to justice, and fairness. As a parting thought, i figure one of the greatest cruelties is our casual blindness to the despair of others. If we’re supposed to love others as the Lord first loved us, let us take to ourselves the compassion of God to begin the transformation of the world around us. Let compassion and love for a world of transgressors motivate us, to extend relief to the suffering, joining with the Lord to lead the lost sparks home. Remember, everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about. Be kind.
Drive carefully this week, extend yourself to someone for good, tell the truth, be honest, and let Jesus shine in all you do. Amen.