2001-01-28 - Compassion

Passages Related to Spiritual Gifts, Part 4

Do you have a heart for those who are in spiritual, emotional or physical pain? Do you yearn to relieve the plight of people who are forgotten by society--the mentally ill, prisoners, AIDS victims? Do you show God's love to them, not out of a sense of obligation, but out of a love for them?Compassion is not to be reserved for only those who "deserve" it; if it were only for the deserving, God would show no mercy to you and me.

Romans 12:6-8 (NASB) Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Mark 2:3-5 (NASB) And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven.''

Hebrews 13:3 (NASB) Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

Matthew 27:54-55 (NASB) Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!'' Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him.

Matthew 25:39-40 (NASB) "When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" The King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."

Luke 10:33-37 (NASB) (Jesus said) "But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he 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.' Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him.'' Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same.''

Jan

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