Put On A Heart Of Compassion

Put on Compassionate Hearts

Believers must have a heart change in order to affect those around them. They must allow the Holy Spirit to change their hearts from a heart of indifference and cruelty to a heart of compassion and kindness.

compassion n. — a deep awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering.

Many people are indifferent to suffering because they don’t want to deal with it. It is uncomfortable and it is easier to ignore it rather than deal with it. Dealing with suffering people is difficult and time consuming. Having a heart of compassion for someone enables you to adequately help a suffering person.

God calls believers to be deeply aware of those that are suffering and to do something about it. In order for us to do this, we must take our eyes off of ourselves and acknowledge that there are hurting people and that we can do something about it.

3 Ways Jesus showed compassion

Jesus showed compassion to the lost, to the sick, and to the needy.

Jesus showed compassion to the lost.

Luke 15:11–20 NASB95

11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. 13 “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” ’ 20 “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Luke 15:11-

This son was deserving of tremendous punishment. He told his dad that he wanted his money more than he wanted his dad. He took what his dad gave him and squandered it in sinful behavior. The son decided to repent of his wrongdoings and go back to his Father. His Father did not give him what he deserved, but instead had mercy and restored him to his sonship.

Having a heart of compassion has an element of forgiveness. It enables us to forgo any right that we have to punish and extend mercy instead. This was appropriate because the son knew of his sin and repented of it. When he set out on his journey, he did not know the fallacy of his decision, but learned and repented. Any further punishment would have been only punitive and not instructive.

Our hearts of compassion for the lost should who do not know the ways of the Lord. They are having to learn by the consequences of their decisions. We need to share the ways of the Lord with them. They will not always follow our instruction. When they do repent, we should have hearts of compassion that does not hold their offenses against them, but instead help them in their direction of repentance.

Matthew 9:36 NASB95

36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew

Who do you know that is lost and living in sin? Are you willing to share with them the way of the Lord? Are you willing to exercise patience as they figure it out? Are you willing to help them in their direction of repentance and sanctification?

Who do you know that is lost and living in sin? Are you willing to share with them the way of the Lord? Are you willing to exercise patience as they figure it out? Are you willing to help them in their direction of repentance and sanctification?

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Jesus showed compassion to the sick.

Matthew 20:29–34 NASB95

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30 And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

Matthew 20:29-

Jesus demonstrated tremendous compassion to these two blind men. They knew that Jesus could heal them so they cried out to him in spite of the crowd hushing them. Jesus went and made them well.

Tell story of Joseph Damien. “My fellow believers” 18 years later “my fellow lepers.” He lived among them and cared for them. He could not heal them, but he lived among them and gave them a life worth living. He built schools and churches and lived life with them.

There are people that are sick all around us and we do not want to get emotionally involved, because what happens if they don’t make it. A heart of compassion says, “you may not overcome this illness, but I am going to make you living with this illness a little bit better. We can be with them in their days of pain. We can cry with them. We can lift them up in prayer.

Who do you know who is sick? Are you willing to make their life a little bit better? Are you willing to care for them?

Jesus showed compassion to the needy.

Matthew 15:32–38 NASB95

32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33 The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 15:32-38

Jesus saw a basic need for food for those who were following him. He felt compassion because they did not have a basic necessity and it could have led to them passing out. Jesus didn’t physically have enough to feed the four thousand. He took what he had and gave thanks and the Lord blessed it and made it enough.

There are people in our own community that do not have the basic necessities of life. Many don’t have food, a place to live, or clothes to wear. We are not so cruel as to say i am not willing to help someone in need. Most everyone will help if they know the need. A heart of compassion does not wait to be told of a need, but actively seeks someone in need. There are many ways that we can help in giving to those that are needy. You can give regularly to the local food bank. You can financially support a local shelter. Our association has a backpack ministry that feeds kids that don’t have food on the weekends.

There are people all over the world that lack basic needs. America doesn’t know much about this, because they have never experienced true need. Everything that we need is readily available. We can give to organizations that help communities without basic needs get them.

You may say, “I don’t have enough to make my own needs meet, how can I help anyone else?” Do what Jesus did. Take what you do have and give it to the Lord. He will bless it and provide you a way to give what he desires you to give.

Are you willing to acknowledge that there are people in our own back yard that do not have the basic necessities? Are you willing to pursue finding those needs? Are you willing to help provide for those needs?