Be-Cast Episode 13: BE COMPASSIONATE

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THIS WEEK’S VERSES:

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”(Colossians 3:12)

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” (1 Peter 3:8)

A MESSAGE FROM SARA:

Happy New Year!! I cannot believe that it is 2014…can it be? And not only by the time you read this will it be a new year for all of us, it is literally a new year for me. Yes, ladies. Now when Monica and I remind everyone how old we are, I will have to say I am 41 and not 40. I think it’s pretty cool though to ring both a new calendar year and a year older in together. It’s kind of like a really big fresh start!  What are your New Year resolutions?

Just this week I was doing some research for a different week and ran across an article about a Pastor by the name of Mike Ashcraft that has written a book called My One Word. Basically he has challenged people to pick just one word to focus on for the year…his was FLOW. I got a little excited about this because I felt that was something we are kind of doing at BE as we pick a word a week and dive into it. Perhaps some of you might pick a word or two that God is laying on your heart to focus on this New Year. Isn’t that the kind of change we talk about…an inward change that will result in outward change? I think the idea Pastor Ashcraft is sharing is a perfect idea…it’s simple. It’s about Being and not Doing!

About 10 years ago I would say that God started bringing words or themes into my life. Over the years some of those words have been gentleness, quietness, simplicity. And there was a year that was compassion which is this week’s word…Be Compassionate. So as you can imagine it’s kind of a dear week for me as I revisit some things I had learned before and visited many new things God revealed.

Each podcast we record one of us will say, “I think this is my favorite one yet”, and then we laugh because we have each already said that about another topic. I’m not sure if I would say that this one is my favorite, but I will admit I am very passionate about it. I believe that if true revival can take place within the church and new souls reached outside the church, we must learn what true compassion is and be willing to embrace it and live it out.

When we fail to meet people’s needs when we have the ability to do so, we lack compassion. John charges his readers, “Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). The NET Bible renders the verse, “But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?” If we lack compassion, we don’t have God’s love in us. Character Traits of the Spiritual Life: Compassion and Mercy, Richard Hollerman

If we don’t have God’s love in us, then we cannot have revival. God’s love is the true root of all things godly, without there is no God and without God there is not revival.

I pray that you will take time to listen to this week’s podcast and be willing to ask yourself where you are in compassion. It’s a New Year; commit to God to be willing to morph into the beautiful creation God has made you to be not by making one more promise to do something but by transforming your mind and Being.

Compassion defined:

• To have so much mercy and tenderness for someone else that it actually cases pain.  It is the deepest desire to show love and goodness. Compassion is what moves God to do everything He does. (Kenneth Copeland)
• The inward urging to reach out in love to those around us who are in need. The opposite is indifference or lack of concern. (Herman Abrahams)
• To be sympathetic to another person’s trouble or pain.
• Compassion is when you see someone that is hurting and you feel bad for them and want to help them out. Mercy is when you give someone a second chance even when they don’t deserve it.
• Latin compassus (to sympathize) co-with + pati – to suffer. A powerful, deep awareness of someone else’s suffering, making it so that you want them not to suffer.
• Common very used in the Greek NT to refer to God’s compassion is splanchnizomai which relates to the intestines. The idea is that compassion creates a sense of pain in the gut.  Sometimes a sharp pain in the abdomen will accompany intense feelings of compassion or pity for those we love. (Jack Deer)

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

1. Dive into the Word of God and research God’s compassion and Jesus’s compassion. There are so many illustrations of compassion in both the Old and New Testaments. Ask God to show you a few examples that you can learn and grow from.

2. Ask yourself if you have become hardened to even notice when others are hurting. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we lack compassion. At this time of honesty, ask yourself if there is something keeping you from being compassionate. And if there is, be willing seek counsel or ask for help.

3. Pray that God would give you eyes like His. To open your eyes and heart to see those that are hurting and be willing to do something with that compassion.

DOWNLOAD:

Download this week’s printable!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

1. Compassion Has a Plan by Kenneth Copeland. This is the article Sara references in the podcast.

2. The Responsibility of Compassion. A great article by a woman pastor about how one cannot love God and not love those whom God loves.

3. One-Word Resolution. A fantastic article Sara discussed above about choosing a one word resolution for the year!

4. Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri Nouwen, Donald P. Mcneill and Douglas A. Morrison. Wonderful book about the pursuit of compassion in our lives as Christians.