Move with Compassion
When we make a decision to help someone, what is it that compels us to help? What motivates you to make that decision? Do you help a relative because it is your duty, an obligation, or because you love them? Maybe you decide to help someone because you would look bad in front of others, if you didn’t. Some simply follow others or is a part of a service group. There are many reasons or emotions that could motivate us to help someone, however, there is only one that comes from God, which compels us to serve. That is what we are going to focus on today. I am so glad you are here and I pray you will be blessed by our study.
When we examine the life of Jesus, we see over and over again that He was “moved by compassion”. Matthew 9:36 (NASB20), “Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.”
The compassion of God is a very powerful motivator to help others. At times, we help to the point of setting our own needs aside. There is an example of this type of compassion recorded in Matthew 14. Jesus, who had just learned that His cousin, John, had been beheaded, was off grieving in a secluded place and yet, we read in verses 13 and 14 (NASB20), “Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard about this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He came ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.” The phrase ‘moved by compassion’ (as it reads in the KJV), according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon means: to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence, to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity.)
Webster’s definition of compassion is “sorrow for the suffering or trouble of others or another, accompanied by an urge to help, deep sympathy or pity.” From the Kingdom Dynamics of the New Spirit Filled Life Bible, we gain this insight. “ Truest compassion is only found in the nature of God because only God knows the full depth of an individual’s pain, need, or suffering. That depth of sensitivity can be worked in us through the Holy Spirit.”
It is so easy to fall into the trap of incorrectly judging who we “think” is worthy of our help or service. Have you ever heard or had the thought, “Well, he made his bed, now he has to lie in it”? (Meaning, he made bad choices and brought this on himself, now he just has to live with it.). Sometimes we fall way short of living in the compassion of God. In reality, we have no idea of the events, experiences, and circumstances responsible for bringing someone to their place of need or trouble.
Compassion moves us beyond outward appearances to act in the love of God in spite of how things seem.
I have a true story to share that demonstrates being moved to love by the compassion of God. We had a woman in our congregation whose husband was very bitter toward Christians. He called his wife’s Christian friends, her “religious cookies.” (including us). When we needed to call her, if he answered the phone, he was not particularly nice or kind. He wanted nothing to do with Christians.
Once, when he had been admitted to the hospital, I visited and offered to pray for him. He refused my offer and in no uncertain terms told me what I could do with my prayer.
At a later time, his wife called and said John had cut himself, needed stitches, and asked if I would drive them to the hospital while she applied pressure to the wound. I gladly accepted the opportunity to show God’s love to John. While traveling to the hospital, we discussed John’s occupation. I had gone through an apprenticeship for a similar type of job, prior to going into the ministry, so John and I could “talk shop.” He later told his wife he was glad to discover that at least one of her Christian friends had some brains. This event was the beginning of a different attitude from John toward us.
Some time later, much to our surprise, John invited us to go out to dinner with he and his wife, to celebrate his birthday!
This couple burned wood to heat their house and this particular fall, their load of wood was delivered too late for them to be able to cut and split it before winter. Since he was desperate, when the church folks offered, through me, to have a wood cutting bee for them, he agreed. (John had previously told one man from the church, who had gone to help with wood, to leave his property.) Unfortunately, we weren’t able to complete the task in one day and they were scheduled to leave on a trip. Surprisingly, John asked if I would keep a watch on their home while they were gone, and gave me a key!
Before they came home, my wife and I finished splitting the wood and stacked it near the back door of the house. When they returned and the car lights shone on the spot where the pile of wood had been when they left, John was certain someone had stolen it! His wife approached the back door to unlock it, and found the neatly stacked wood. She called to John and said, “Come here, I will show you where your wood is.” In his astonishment, John asked, “Why would they do this?”
In time, I received another call from John’s wife, informing me that he had suffered a stroke at work and she needed me to take her to the hospital. In the Emergency Room, as an admissions clerk was taking down John’s information, John’s wife was answering the questions since it was difficult for John to speak. When the gentleman asked, “What is your religion?”, his wife looked at the gentleman and said, “This one, you will have to ask him.” John responded with, “You see that man standing there (indicating me), he is my Pastor, I will take his.”
A day later, in his hospital room, I was able to share the salvation message with John. He made the glorious decision to accept Christ as his Savior and prayed the sinner’s prayer with me.
The following day, John passed away and entered into the presence and loving arms of his Savior.
Compassion is a powerful tool to win the lost. The Lord’s compassion in us, causes us to do His work here on the planet.
Matthew 15:32 (ESV), “Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Compassion moved Jesus to feed the hungry.
Matthew 20: 34 (NASB20), “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.” Compassion moved Jesus to heal the blind.
Mark 1:40,41 (NASB20), “And a man with leprosy came to Jesus, imploring Him and kneeling down, and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." 41 Moved with compassion, [Jesus] reached out with His hand and “touched” him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." Compassion moved Jesus to reach out, touch and heal a leper.
Luke 7:12-15 (NLT), “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.” Moved by compassion, Jesus raised a widow.s son from the dead.
1 Peter 3:8 (NKJV), “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” The Greek word for compassion in this verse is sympathies, which means: suffering or feeling the like with another, sympathetic.
Philippians 2:1-3 (NASB20), “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves”
Colossians 3:12 (ESV), “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience”
Hebrews 10:32-34 (ESV), “But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.”
1 Corinthians 10:24 (ESV), “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.“
1 John 3:17 (ESV), “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?”
Compassion
The compassion of Christ will move us to minister to the hungry, the hurting, unloved, unlovely, the lonely, the sick, the needy, the poor, and the lost.
Open yourself up to the moving and leading of the Holy Spirit so that you may be filled with the same compassion Christ had. Then, you will see the people you meet with the heart and love of God. You will move with compassion!
NASB20 New American Standard Bible 2020
ESV English Standard Version
NLT New Living Translation
NKJV New King James Version