When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. –Matthew 9:36
I remember years ago, when I first got to college, I did a lot of walking around my campus and the surrounding area. During my walks, I always saw sick and homeless people either walking around asking for help or lying down on the street. As I walked by these people, my heart went out to them; I wondered how they got to that point and what I could do to help. I felt compassion for them, but I didn’t do anything!
Like me, many of us have encountered situations or people that needed our help, and we did nothing. Why is this? Many people argue that the homeless people are going to use the money we give them to buy drugs, so why help support a bad habit? Many say they don’t know what to do. What does God think about this? God puts compassion in our hearts to move us to action! If we look back to the story of Nehemiah in Nehemiah 2, we will see that before he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, he first wept over the ruins. I believe that it was the compassion he felt that stirred up the desire in him to act. Also, before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he wept.
If you claim to be a Christian and say that you want to be more like Jesus, then it is important for you to act like he did. In the verse above, while he was going through the towns to preach, Jesus felt compassion for the crowds and was moved to action. Your compassion is not there just to make you feel bad; God puts it there to make you feel strongly enough to do something. An author Alan Redpath writes, “You never lighten the load of others, until you’ve first felt the pressure in your own soul.” I challenge you to be the Good Samaritan at all times. Don’t just feel bad for people and walk away, feel bad and do something about the situation. If you can’t, then find someone else who can and make them feel the compassion that you feel. Jesus couldn’t help everyone in the crowd, so he turned to his disciples and told them what to do to help.
Brethren, I leave you with this question; what will your compassion lead you to do today?
Stay blessed and spread the word.
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COMPASSION