DOES COMPASSION MOTIVATE YOU?

What drives you to action? What causes tears swell up in your eyes? What sends you to your knees in prayer? When real concern for others, when compassion born out of experience becomes the answer to these questions there is no limit to the effectiveness of prayer, nor to what we may find you doing.

Moses had an incredible experience with God, one where God revealed Himself to Moses in a supernatural way and audibly told him about His character. Moses asked to see God’s glory and God’s response is most evident in the following verses:

Exodus 33:19   The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose

Exodus 34:6   The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

God’s unending mercy and compassion for people is evident throughout the Bible. God is love and His love, His presence and His grace are available even when bad stuff happens. One important believers must do is tap into that mercy and grace to help in time of need. Along with that is to be a conduit of God’s love for people, to experience His compassion and do the right thing with it.

Where do we get that and how do we do it? Let’s look at Jesus and see. Jesus experienced being a real flesh and blood person who experienced the best and the worst of what people go through as human beings.

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.

Hebrews 5:2   Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

Look at how this played out during His brief time on the planet. I've listed many examples from Matthew and Luke that show the lover of our souls motivated to action by His compassion for people.

Mark 6:34   And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

Matthew 20:34   So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

Matthew 14:14   And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

Matthew 15:32  Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. (Then He miraculously fed 4,000 men plus the women and children with five small loaves of bread and a few fish.)

Matthew 20:34   So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him

Luke 7:12-14   A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her.

13    When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.

14   Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.”

15   Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Those of you who read these blogs often know that I have a passion to bring the message from God’s heart to yours. This implies that we need to take the His Word to heart and let Him change us. You see, the Christian is blessed to be able to allow this compassion, so much an integral part of every other aspect of God’s character, to become integral to our character as well, to our churches and exposed to our communities.

1 Peter 3:8   Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;

Romans 15:1   We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Hebrews 10:23   Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised ;)

24   And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Hebrews 6:10   For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.

It has often been said that the more you pray for someone the more you will love them. What happens in your head and heart when you consider someone? Ask yourself when you see something lacking in another believer if you are seeing what you do because it is lacking in you? The greatest provocation (motivational thing) is to lead by example as Jesus did in those verses form Matthew and Luke quoted above. Be a follower of Jesus and you will be a leader of others to Him.