Honor God
Help People
A HEART OF COMPASSION
December 13, 2024So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12
1. CULTIVATE A HEART OF COMPASSION. Compassion is defined as a “deep awareness of the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it.” This speaks to having a tender heart, empathy, and an awareness of the needs of others. God calls us to “put on” this heart of compassion, to seek meaningful and godly ways to alleviate suffering.
2. RESIST INDIFFERENCE. Jesus illustrated compassion through the story of the Good Samaritan: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. By chance, a priest was going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” The priest and Levite, both important figures of their day, chose to remain indifferent. They apparently had other things going on and didn’t let this man in trouble trigger anything in their hearts. “But a Samaritan, on his journey, came to him. When he saw him, he felt compassion. He bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on them, put him on his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:30–34). The Samaritan also was on his way somewhere, but instead of indifference, he chose compassion and went to help the beaten man.
3. CONTINUE ON YOUR JOURNEY. Having a heart of compassion doesn’t mean that we become doormats. The Samaritan’s actions help us understand a healthy model for caring for and loving others: “On the next day he [The Samaritan] took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you'” (Luke 10:35). The Samaritan acted immediately, providing first aid and stabilizing the man. He delegated responsibility to the innkeeper and offered to pay for the man’s care. Then he continued on his journey. This tells a lot about compassion, both what to do and not do. It tells us to reach out to help others, but it also tells us not to neglect our own care and calling. As one doctor shared with me, caregivers are notorious for not taking care of themselves. The wisdom of Jesus’ words reiterating the greatest commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” keeps us in balance by making sure we also show compassion to ourselves and stay healthy so we can be ready to step out and help where God leads us (Matthew 22:39).
DAILY CONFESSION (Based on Colossians 3:12–17):
Today, I put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. I bear with others and forgive just as God forgave me. I put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. I let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, and I am thankful. I let the Word of Christ richly dwell within me, with all wisdom singing with thankfulness in my heart to God. Whatever I do today in word or deed, I do all in the name of Jesus.
God bless you,
Pastor Jeff Perry
com·pas·sion, noun
Deep awareness of the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it.
Copyright © 2024 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. “Compassion, N.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022, https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=compassion&submit.x=0&submit.y=0.
