True Compassion

True compassion conveys the “L” word—Love.  Without love it is impossible to sustain lasting happiness; and without compassion, love is void of the impact it could have when yielding to the benevolence of ministering to others.    

Yes, things of the world can bring momentary pleasure, but they lack long-term contentment.  When a person discovers the joy that true compassion brings, they will walk in love and satisfaction.

Many people find it hard to express true compassion in a world that is filled with hate and deception—takers and players as it were.  But with God, all things are possible.  He can teach us how to feel empathy and demonstrate kindness through our actions.

Look at what non compassionate people did to Jesus; they crucified Him.  They were filled with hatred and malice, yet Jesus asked God to forgive those that condemned and killed Him, because He had compassion and love for them.

There were three men crucified that day on Golgotha, a skull-shaped hill in Jerusalem.  The men on either side of Jesus were criminals and deserved their punishment, but the Lord was virtuous and without sin.  He was falsely accused and unjustly sentenced to death.

One of the convicted men blasphemed Jesus, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation…but this man has done nothing wrong.”  He then said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  The Lord expressed true compassion for the man.  Even with all the dishonest things he may have done, love spoke loudly that day in the presence of evildoers.  Mercy and kindness were given freely to the one criminal that reached out to Jesus.

It would have to be a spiritual intervention, an act of God, for me to forgive someone that intentionally harmed one of my family members, let alone to have compassion and love for them as Christ had for those that falsely accused and crucified Him. 

Forgiveness is a God thing, but He said that if we do not forgive others, how then can He forgive us our transgressions?  It’s certainly food for thought.  I pray that this test will never come my way, because as I play different scenarios in my mind, I believe I would do everything in my power to prevent harm from coming to my wife or family.

God said that He would not put anything on us more than we could stand to bear.  I do believe that God’s grace is sufficient for every situation that we face, and His love is abundant and free.  When we claim His promises that are in the Bible, we walk by faith in His strength.

When someone says that they would do such and such if something challenging were to come their way, they are talking through their hat.  No one can say for certain how they will behave or react should an incident unfold.  How a situation would be handled is impossible to know until a person is put in that position.

The fight or flight reflex that occurs when adrenalin is pumped suddenly through one’s body, activated by the senses, will determine the response mindset in a moment of time.  I think I know how I would respond to stress or emergencies but cannot say for sure.

I would hope that my quick-thinking would be coupled with Holy Spirit led reflexes and not do something in haste that I would regret later.  If there is time for true compassion to show up, I would hope that good decisions would be made, and that I could indeed react with compassion.   

God’s Word says that a soft answer turns away wrath, but what about those times when there is no time to talk, only act in response to an incident?  Circumstances can happen quickly where a split-second decision may determine life or death.  We will have to live with our decision. 

For this reason, I pray for God’s protection on me and everyone I hold dear.  I believe that praying for God’s safeguard will shroud us with the blood of Jesus, which protects us from evil.

When a person prays, “Not my will but Thine be done,” they should also pray for true compassion to be coupled with the sensitivity that is linked to God’s will. 

My personality is such that I am strong-willed and quick tempered at times, though God has softened and mellowed me since I became a Christian.  He is still working on me, teaching compassion and love, thus, longsuffering is slowly taking root.

It would be nice if the fruit of the Spirit were immediate when I asked Jesus into my heart, but the fact of the matter, I am learning how to reject the old man’s pattern of handling things and putting on the new person that I have become in Christ Jesus.   

Is true compassion one of the fruits spoken of in the Bible?  If not, it certainly runs parallel and is intermingled with the fruit of the Spirit.  They all go hand in hand.  God’s grace, through the working of the Holy Spirit, is a learning process; some people call it sanctification—dedicating one’s self in becoming more like Christ and demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit—consecration.  

(Galatians 5:22, 23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” Vs. 23 “gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.”

I believe Christians are to strive for the mark of the high calling in Jesus and put on His attributes, while expressing compassion where needed.

(1 John 3:17, 18) “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Vs. 18 “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

Jesus performed many miracles when He walked the earth, but I sincerely believe that He was so compassionate that He could not walk past a person that was in need without reaching out to them and meeting their need, whatever it was.

Jesus was filled with empathy for others because He was God in flesh.  One of the attributes of God is love in its purest form—love linked with true compassion.  Oh, to have this kind of sensitivity and warmth, but I am working on it.  My desire is to express true compassion without expecting something in return—genuine empathy, devoid of pretense.

I believe if a person is walking in the Spirit, they will demonstrate compassion, because God is love, and Christians are His hands extended to those needing love.

(James 2:15-17) “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,” Vs. 16 “and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” Vs. 17 “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

This is where true compassion steps up to the plate and hits a homerun when helping someone in need.

Written by,

Papa Boyd

Defy Laws at Your Own Risk

Warning signs are everywhere you look.  It is up to each individual whether they choose to obey the signs or risk getting caught by the authorities or worse yet, being injured or killed, because of noncompliant behavior.  

Amusement parks have disclaimer signs stating Ride at Your Own Risk.  Other signs I’ve seen are, Enter at Your Own Risk; Do Not Enter; Wrong Way; Yield; Keep Out; No Trespassing and Roadwork Ahead, to name a few.

The word Defy in the title may sound somewhat neurotic, but to defy the biggest warning of all is like taking one’s life into their own hands.  This warning is Thou Shalt Not!  These three words are more than obsessive, they are compelling, especially when they are attached to The Ten Commandments.

The risk of disobeying The Ten Commandments is twofold…spiritual and physical.  The Commandments are given to protect, not to condemn or exert authority.  God cares what happens to mankind, so He gave Moses The Ten Commandments to shield and safeguard God’s prize design—humanity.  He does not want us to suffer the consequences of our actions.

Sir Isaac Newton was a renowned physicist that conveyed Newton’s Laws of Motion.  His theory stated that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; Seek and you shall find; Knock and it shall be opened; A kind answer turns away wrath, are positive perspectives pertaining to this law.

A person is taking matters into their own hands when they disobey the laws of the land and God’s laws.  They enter a place of no return, having to answer for their blindness of selective vision or deliberately closing their eyes to what is being expected of them to do or not to do.

The old saying, “Pay the Piper” is bearing the consequences, sooner or later, for something that was enjoyed.  Let us hope that this is not the negative aspect or penalties of doing something wrong. 

Abstaining from wrongdoing of any kind, whether thought or deed, is to a person’s benefit, not to their downfall.  Whether in Jesus’ day when He walked the earth, or today, rules are rules, and they should be taken seriously and always applied.  There is no getting around the fact that wrong is wrong, and evil is evil, anyway you look at it.  There are no in-betweens where laws are concerned.

Signs around us give fair warning for our protection and other’s wellbeing.  The Bible also gives fair warning that entertaining sin is done entirely at a person’s own risk.  God does not make anyone serve Him.  He gives mankind the freedom and discretion to choose right from wrong.  We are freewill moral agents to decide, for ourselves, what road we will travel…the straight and narrow path that leads to heaven or the wide road to destruction.

Newton’s Laws of Motion go hand in hand with the following scripture that is found in the Book of Galatians.

(Galatians 6:7,8) “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”  Vs. 8 “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

A person living on the edge and hoping that their frivolous life does not catch up with them, while sinning against God, will one day bring judgment in the courts of the land and the spiritual realm.  There is a payment due at some point because they defied laws at their own risk.  It does not pay to disobey rules that have been established to improve the quality of physical, everyday living, and the spiritual dominion.

Substance abuse, regarding drugs and alcohol, damage body organs and brain cells.  Tobacco usage, of any kind, may cause cancer, while sexual promiscuity can bring to bear Sexually Transmitted Diseases of all kinds, when rules are disobeyed.

When we heed the signs and restrain ourselves from entering wrongdoing, risk is nullified.  We walk in peace and experience abundant living that God desires for us.

Willfully surrendering to sin, at one’s own risk, is like running into a burning building without protective clothing or jumping off a cliff with an umbrella…the result is the same—injury or death.  These examples are dealing with the physical aspect of poor judgment.  The spirit world is something of another matter.

Jesus did everything in His power to make a way for people to not have to suffer the consequences of sinning.  He paid the full price for the sins of mankind by suffering death on the cross to make a way for you and me to walk in victory and enter heaven after our journey on earth is over. 

Though we sin and come short of the glory of God, Jesus defied death and arose the third day so that we would read the sign, “I Love You.”  He desires a relationship with us.

No-one is perfect.  We have all transgressed the laws of God and need a Savior to put us on the straight and narrow path to righteousness and take us off the wide road to destruction.

(Romans 3:23) “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

Though we have sinned, God forgives sin when we confess them.  We need to ask Jesus into our heart and experience newness of life.  This event is called, the new birth—being born again.  It is a spiritual awakening of new beginnings.

(2 Corinthians 5:17) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 

Nothing in this world, and no-one except Jesus Christ, can bring satisfaction that lasts.  All is sinking sand.  The Lord is the unmovable, solid rock—the firm foundation and cornerstone of a victorious life that is built upon the attributes of Almighty God. 

Only the Lord can satisfy the deep longing in the soul of a wayfarer that is wandering aimlessly without direction, looking for peace.

Sin is momentary pleasure that lasts for a short season, and then one day the reality of sin kicks back, much like Newton’s Laws of Motion.  The person reaps what they have sewn. 

The choice is ours to make.  Not only will we be grateful on earth that we chose Jesus, but the second part of God’s blessing comes when we see Him face to face in heaven.  Praise God!

Written by,

Papa Boyd