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