Show Some Compassion!

   Have you ever said to someone, "Show some compassion!" What exactly is compassion? When and why should it be shown? Well that's exactly what I want to talk about today. First of all, lets define the word compassion. Compassion is a feeling of kindness, concern, and love toward another person that results in action to help. The opposite of compassion is hard hearted. There are clear commands for us to show compassion to others in the Scriptures. Take for example 1 Peter 3:8, "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:"

As I looked through the Scriptures I found some negative and positive examples of those who showed and didn't show compassion.

Some of the negative examples that I found were...

- Jonah (Jonah 1:1-2; 3:10; 4:1)
Instead of following God's example in giving the Ninevites another chance, he chose not to. Jonah was overcome with his prejudice toward the Ninevites. He couldn't let go of his feelings and didn't trust God's decision in how to deal with them.

- The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-30)
The rich man condemned himself to an eternal hell because of his hardened heart. He purposefully turned away from helping Lazarus even when he saw the pitiful state he was in.

- Disciples (Mark 10:13-16 & Matthew 14:15)
The disciples thought they were Jesus' personal bodyguards and tried to keep anyone from getting too close to Jesus. But Jesus didn't like it! He wants everyone to come to Him. Age, race, and nationality mean nothing to Him!


Some of the positive examples that I found were...

- Pharaoh's Daughter (Exodus 2:5-6)
At the risk of jeopardizing her favor with her father who had decreed all the first born male Hebrew babies be killed, she felt it too cruel to murder the precious bundle of humanity found in the bulrushes. She definitely had a tender heart!

- Jesus (Luke 7:11-17, Matthew 8:2-3, John 11:32-36)
Jesus demonstrated such a precious picture of how to feel for someone else's pain. Jesus didn't care if someone had a disease or was looked down upon by others. He touched the lepers, ate with the publicans, healed the sick and died for all sinners. What a wonderful example to follow!

- The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-34)
The Good Samaritan is like the model example of showing compassion in the Bible. Despite the way that the Jews had treated him he chose to help the Jewish man who lay on the side of the road. For as much as the Samaritan knew this man could have been someone who had mistreated him, but it didn't matter. This man went the extra mile in helping him.


   After preparing for this study, it made me question if I'm a compassionate person and what causes a person to show compassion? There can be many reasons why we don't react with compassion towards others. I think the main reason is because too often we put ourselves as no. 1 and don't really think about anyone else. Compassion is love in action, it's when you express genuine concern for others as our Father in Heaven does towards us. When you feel other's pain and react to it, having compassion on that person without any thought or reservation. It is a heart issue! What a better way to express God's love for another human being but through compassion. A good thing to remember is... Jesus-
Others-Yourself (J.O.Y.). Here is a good Bible verse to help us express and have true genuine Christ-like compassion flow through us.

Luke 10:27- "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself."