UPHOLDING CARING

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(1 John 4:16). God's compassion is extolled throughout the Bible. Consider the following passages. "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18–19). 

"As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children" (Psalm 103:13–17). 

God is compassionate.

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He is sympathetic to the suffering of His people.

He sees our distress and takes pity on us.

But His compassion is more than mere sympathy and pity. God's compassion is related to His mercy, kindness, patience, grace, forgiveness, and love. In fact, some of these attributes are so related and interwoven as to make clear demarcations between them difficult.

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   God's compassion compels Him to take action. He is no impotent observer but the omnipotent sovereign ruler of the universe (Romans 9:14–16). God's sympathy for our lost and miserable state-led Him not only to feel our pain but to provide an atoning sacrifice for our guilt; this He did by sending His Son to die for our sins (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:1–10). Yeshua, our Messiah, is the Father's most compassionate gift to humanity. Therefore, His children should be the most compassionate of all people on the face of the earth. Only by and through faith in Him is that we are forgiven of our guilt and rescued from our deplorable condition (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). 

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    Yeshua, Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14). He experienced human life and can sympathize with us fully (Hebrews 4:14–16). He lived a perfect life and modeled things like compassion for us. By observing the compassion of Christ, we catch glimpses of the compassion of the Father and see how we ourselves can show compassion to others (Philippians 2:1–11). For example,in Matthew 9:36, we observe our Lord's s compassion for the harassed and helpless. In Matthew 14:14, we see His compassion for those who are sick and suffer disease. In Matthew 15:32, we witness His compassion for those who hunger.

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    In Luke 7:11–15, we hear of His compassion for the widowed who were especially vulnerable; therefore, He resurrected the widow's son and gave him back to her. In Lazarus's case, Christ's compassion was so strong that He wept (John 11). When he arrived graveside, He raised Lazarus from the dead and returned to his grieving relatives. No doubt, Jesus Himself rejoiced greatly over the return of His friend.  But the absolute pinnacle of our Lord's compassion was seen on a cross of Calvary where He lay down His life for the sins of the world (John 3:16). Those who put their faith in Him, and in Him alone, become born again spiritually and receive the Holy Spirit. Then we are made into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). This enables us to love God and our neighbors, and put on hearts of compassion (Colossians 3:12–15) and those who have yet to hear the gospel and believe... Yeshua, Jesus has commanded us to follow His promptings to be compassionate (Galatians 5:22–23). We must have His heart for the lost, hurt, wounded, poor, and needy souls of this world.

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   Scripture makes it crystal clear that if we do not have compassion or love for each other, we do not know God (1 John 3:17; 4:20). We cannot be void of compassion and still call ourselves Christians. Compassion is of paramount importance in revealing the genuineness of our faith in Christ. Compassion and love are how we are identified as Christ's disciples (John 13:34–35). Without it, we are nothing but clanging cymbals (1 Corinthians 13:1–3). May we pray that He will forgive us when our hearts are cold and ask Him to help us fan the flames of compassion by the Holy Spirit's enablement.