How Can I Make The Most Of My Life (Part 2) - Compassion - Matthew 20:29-34

Our world is in desperate need of compassion. I believe most Christians want to step into that space and deliver but I'm not sure we really know what compassion means or how to do it? For most, compassion simply means having sympathetic feelings for those who might be "less fortunate" than us. The Biblical understanding is far more rich. Compassion is not just empathy. Compassion is the tangible expression of love for those who are suffering. When thought of in this context, it makes our God even greater than we realize.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:8-9

Jesus is the tangible expression of God's compassion toward you. Jesus' very presence in the world was the ultimate act of compassion. We did not deserve His sacrifice, but because of God's great love, we were treated with mercy and are called to live lives of compassion and mercy. So how about you? Now that you know what it is, do you know how to give it? There was a time in Jesus' public ministry when he was followed by thousands (you could say he's very busy) and while traveling he encounters two blind men on the side of the road. They scream and beg for his attention. (This is what hurting people do.) The crowd shames them by demanding silence yet Jesus is listening. Not only does he listen but he stops…and he acts. Is this not the model for us? Listen to the cries around you. Stop and pay attention. Act by giving a tangible expression of love. Jesus is no longer walking the earth but his followers are. So then His compassion towards us now flows through us. When this happens God's mercy and the world's cries collide and the result is a transformation of the heart.