Guiding Light!
Compassion!
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:12-13
Websters definition-sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.
Websters is in line with the verse in Colossians, "distress together" -- "bear with each other." There is a heartfelt desire to be merciful towards the hurting person, friend or foe. God makes no distinction between the two, He calls us to act the same way towards all people. He will judge between the two, it is not our place to judge, but to obey. Where is your heart?
Compassion, literally a feeling with and for others, is a fundamental and distinctive quality of the Biblical conception of God, and to its prominence the world owes more than words can express. It lay's at the foundation of Israel's faith in Yahweh. For it was out of His compassion that He, by a marvelous act of power, delivered them from Egyptian bondage and called them to be His own people. Nothing, therefore, is more prominent in the Old Testament than the ascription of compassion, pity, mercy, etc., to God; the people may be said to have gloried in it. It is summed up in such sayings as that of the great declaration in Ex 34:6: "Yahweh-a God full of compassion and gracious" (compare Ps 78:38; 86:15; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8; Lam 3:22, "His compassion's fail not"). And, because this was the character of their God, the prophets declared that compassion was an essential requirement on the part of members of the community (Hos 6:6; Mic 6:8; compare Prov 19:17). In Jesus Christ, in whom God was "manifest in the flesh," compassion was an outstanding feature (Matt 9:36; 14:14, etc.) and He taught that it ought to be extended, not to friends and neighbors only, but to all without exception, even to enemies (Matt 5:43-48; Luke 10:30-37).
The God of the New Testament, the Father of men, is most clearly revealed as "a God full of compassion." It extends to the whole human race, for which He effected not merely a temporal, but a spiritual and eternal, deliverance, giving up His own Son to the death of the cross in order to save us from the worst bondage of sin, with its consequences; seeking thereby to gain a new, wider people for Himself, still more devoted, more filled with and expressive of His own Spirit. Therefore all who know the God and Father of Christ, and who call themselves His children, must necessarily cultivate compassion and show mercy, "even as he is merciful." Hence, the many apostolic injunctions to that effect (Eph 4:32; Col 3:12; James 1:27; 1 John 3:17, etc.). Christianity may be said to be distinctively the religion of Compassion.
And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.' Zechariah 7:8-10
Heavenly Father it is our desire to be obedient to you, sometimes we fall short of the mark, especially in this area. You know we struggle with the flesh on this matter, it is hard for us to be compassionate with those we don't like. We ask for your patience and direction to help us grow to become a more obedient person for you. Teach us Father the unconditional love you have for all of your children and help us to remember everyone, yes everyone is your child. We ask for your forgiveness in falling short in this area, we commit to try harder daily to be compassionate and reach out to those in need, for we are reaching out to you when we do this. Thank you Lord that you love and forgive us and that you are ever patient with us to become a better child of you. This we pray in Jesus Christ name......amen
In Christ's Service,
Kenny Millhouse
kenny@guidinglightministry.com
http://guidinglightministry.com
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