We believe God calls all Christians to show compassion to those in need.
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
-Psalm 82:3-4
Biblical compassion, like love, is not something you feel, but something you do. The wording of the creed above is important: God calls us to show compassion, not just feel it. Compassion--expressed both locally and globally--should be a regular part of every Christ-follower's life. Do you have an outlet for compassion in our community? In your neighborhood? Are you showing compassion to people in need in other parts of the country or the world?
We are surrounded by opportunity. Ike Victims. AIDS orphans. The single mom who lives down the street, and her latchkey kids. A homeless family in Dickinson for whom a Habitat house is being built. An African village in need of a water well. A fundraiser for cancer research. Your elderly neighbor. How do you choose? Prayerfully, and in community. Ask God, and talk to your table group about how you can SERVE together.
From time to time, opportunities for compassion will arise that we will promote to the whole church. Starfish Kenya is one example, as were our trips to Galveston after Ike. But please don't wait for a church announcement to show compassion! I believe our best efforts in this regard won't be church-wide. They will be on the neighborhood level. You might be surprised how compassion opens up opportunities for you to build relationships in your neighborhood, both through serving people and serving with people.
Compassion is a core belief that sounds a lot like a core practice. If we believe it, we will do it. It's closely tied to the "giving away" core practices, as we'll see in a couple of weeks.
The bedrock belief that lies within showing compassion for those of us who follow Christ is that we believe God calls all Christians to do so. God doesn't give certain people the gift of mercy, while giving everyone else a pass. As a Christ-follower, this is not an option for us. We cannot just write checks. We cannot just pray. We cannot just talk about helping others. We must do something. But it all starts with believing that it is not an option for us.
ReplyDeleteI suck at this one. I don't register high on the mercy scale, so I tend to lack internal motivation when it comes to the action. In reality though, it's not my motivation as much as my belief. If I really believe that God calls me to show compassion to those in need, then why don't I do so? It's a process.
I pray that God will give me a compassion for others. I grew up with very uncompassionate family. We loved each other, but not outsiders. I often blame others for their misfortune. How could they have gotten themselves into that situation?
ReplyDeleteYet, I have recently be bombarded by stories and people who have sick children or have lost children, and I think God has used that to speak to me. There are things that happen that are horrible, and we have to be there for one another. No matter how we got there.
God has placed a woman in my life now who isn't easy to love, but she needs love. I worry that I'm missing out on other things with other friends, but I know that this is where God wants me to spend my energy right now. I think this virtue is a lesson I need to learn.